Frequently asked questions
Who is Alpine Energy?
Alpine Energy is proudly community-owned, delivering power to nearly 34,000 homes, farms and businesses across South Canterbury. Wherever you live or work in the region, we're responsible for providing you with a safe, reliable, and resilient power supply, today and into the future. Our power poles and lines stretch from the Rangitata to the Waitaki Rivers and from the coast to Aoraki/Mt Cook.
What is this all about?
We unintentionally overcharged customers due to a complex accounting error discovered in 2023. This error has been corrected, and we have been actively working with the Commerce Commission, which regulates all lines companies, on how best to make this right for customers.
What is the solution?
Our customers will receive a credit to their power bill. The credit makes up for an unintentional accounting error that resulted in higher prices.
How much will I receive as a credit?
Residential customers will receive a $261.69 credit. This will be paid to you through your electricity retailer and will appear as a credit in a future electricity invoice.
I own or operate a business. Will we receive a credit?
Some small business customers will receive a $261.69 credit, which is the same amount for households. Some of our customers who are on larger three-phase connections could receive a $992.83 credit. The remaining four percent of customers will receive an individually calculated credit based on their connection size and actual usage over the period of the overcharge.
I used to live in South Canterbury. Will I receive a credit?
We have set up a process so that past customers of Alpine during the period 1 April 2015 to 31 May 2024 can apply for a credit. The amount of the credit will depend on how each customer was affected.
When will I receive the credit?
We expect you will see these credits in May or June 2025.
How will the credit be paid to me?
The credit will be paid to your electricity retailer, who will apply the credit to your electricity account.
Do I have to pay income tax on the credit?
No, the credit is a reduction in future power bills and is therefore not income.
I pay my bill by a weekly or monthly direct debit. How will the credit apply to this?
Your electricity retailer will credit your account, which will reduce the amount of your direct debit.
Does the size of the credit depend on my electricity retailer?
No – the credits will be the same regardless of which electricity retailer you are signed up with.
Am I receiving the full amount that I overpaid?
The credit amount is a calculation based on the best possible information. The calculation is specified in legally binding undertakings to the Commerce Commission.
Will there be more credits in future?
No – there will be only one bill credit.
Is the refund different to the dividend?
The credit and the dividend are entirely separate. All customers will receive the credit.
How was the dollar amount of the credit calculated?
It is calculated according to a formula agreed with the Commerce Commission. For 91% of customers, this is a one-off credit of $261.69. Some of our customers on larger three-phase connections could receive a $992.83 credit. The remaining four percent of customers will receive individually calculated amounts based on their connection size and actual usage over the period of the overcharge.
What time period does this credit cover?
The credit is a reimbursement for overcharging between 1 April 2015 to 31 May 2024.
Why am I getting this credit through my retailer and not directly from you?
We do not have the ability to pay refunds to individual households and businesses. All this information is held by electricity retailers.
Am I eligible for the credit if I changed electricity retailers?
Yes, you are still eligible for a credit even if you have changed retailer.
I was on a fixed-term contract with my retailer during the affected period. Am I still eligible?
Yes, you are still eligible for a credit.
What if have switched or just switched retailers?
The credit will be paid to you regardless of which company is your current electricity retailer.
How will the credit appear on my electricity bill?
The credit will appear as an offset on your electricity bill. This means it will reduce your electricity bill by the credit amount.
What if the credit amount exceeds my bill?
If there is still a credit remaining after your monthly bill, the remaining credit will be added to the following month's bill. This will continue until all the credit has been used.
Will I receive the credit as a refund if my account is closed?
The credit is available to previous customers between 1 April 2015 and 31 May 2024. Go to Former customers
Can I opt to receive this credit as a direct refund instead of a bill credit?
The credit is only available as an offset on your electricity bill. There will be no direct cash payment.
Why did it take so long to issue the credit?
Thank you for your patience. It has been a complex process that we have worked through with the Commerce Commission. Now that we have resolved the issue, we are moving quickly to return the overcharge to you. We acknowledge our retailers and their help in processing the credits as quickly as possible, after our agreement with the Commerce Commission was signed.
Does this credit mean my electricity prices are going down?
The price you pay for electricity will not change, but you will receive the one-off credit which will reduce a future power bill.
What if I think the credit amount is wrong?
The credit paid to residential customers is $261.69. This amount should appear as a credit on your electricity bill. If it shows a different amount, contact your electricity retailer to check which customer tariff code you are on.
Will this refund affect my power supply?
No. The refund will have no impact on the supply of electricity to your home or business.
How can we be sure this won't happen again?
We have implemented changes to quality controls and are planning to further improve our information systems. This will be covered in an 'improvement plan' that we will submit to the Commerce Commission.
What consequences has the management and board faced?
There have been some changes at the Board level. The Commerce Commission has issued a warning to us, and said it expects us to improve. We are required to prepare an improvement plan.
Was interest applied to the overpaid amount?
Yes, the credit has been adjusted to reflect the time between the error and the payment.
Will my landlord receive the credit or will I (as a tenant)?
The customer whose name is on the bill will receive the credit.
Who will benefit from the $1.5M fund?
Over the next two years we will invest $1.5M on initiatives to support access to electricity in South Canterbury, which may include community resilience, energy efficiency initiatives and financial assistance for vulnerable or low-income households. We are working through the process for how this will work.
Is there an impact on sponsorship that Alpine usually does in the community?
There is no direct link to our sponsorship program however from1 April 2025 we are reframing our approach to community investment to better align with our long-term strategy and the evolving needs of our community. As part of this shift, we will no longer be offering application-based sponsorships or personal development grants.
Who do I contact if I have questions about the credit?
Please contact us on (03) 687 4390 during business hours, or email us on support@alpineenergy.co.nz