Electricity prices
The retail price refers to the price that domestic consumers pay retailers for supplying them with electricity, as indicated on domestic electricity accounts.
The wholesale price is the price set by the wholesale electricity pool. It is based on the price that generators receive for generating electricity and the price that retailers pay for electricity they purchase.
Wholesale prices are also commonly referred to as spot prices, or final prices as defined under the Industry Participation Code.
The wholesale price affects the retail price, but it tends to fluctuate a lot more as it is set by competitive behaviour in the market.
The wholesale prices are available weekly from the Wholesale market reports.
For people interested in wholesale prices over a wider timeframe are available from the WITS website (Wholesale Information and Trading System) or the Centralised Dataset (CDS).
Pricing queries
- Contact with your electricity retailer for information about pricing
- View the results of the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment's quarterly survey of domestic electricity prices
How can I compare prices between companies?
The Powerswitch website provides you with the opportunity to work out which power company and pricing plan is best for you.
This page is related to: Consumer Information.