Moving Homes In NZ: How To Set Up Home Utilities For The First Time

Date Dec 1, 2020
Blog category Broadband
Blog category Power
By Staff Writer
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Are you all ready to move into your new home? Make sure your home is ready to welcome you too! Moving homes isn’t only a one-time preparation — it takes a lot of planning! Ideally, you'd want to set up your main utilities electricity, water, and internet, so you can have a warm and cozy welcome into your new home.

Sort out your utilities before you move into your home. Here’s how to set up your home utilities for the first time.

Determining the utilities you need

Ultimately, this depends on your needs as a family. Some people may need an additional wired telephone line or cable television. Similarly, others can live their day-to-day-life just the same even without these utilities.

Generally, below are the most common utilities Kiwis use every day.

  • Electricity
  • Heating/Burner
  • Gas/LPG
  • Water and sewer
  • Rubbish and recycling
  • Streaming services/Pay TV
  • Broadband

Once you’ve lived in your new home and you find a need to get another utility, you’re free to do so. Consequently, you can disconnect utilities that you don’t find as essential in your life. After all, it’s up to you to figure out what you need best.

Setting up utilities

Setting up your utilities can be tricky. There are a lot of factors you have to consider such as the waiting time, fees, connecting to the grid, installation of wires and cables, and more! Here’s a quick setup guide for your utilities.

1. Check if your current provider services your new address

Switching to a different provider can be a hassle to some New Zealanders. Check if your current provider services your new address. This way, you won’t have to take the time-consuming process of choosing an alternative provider.

You can also avoid the lengthy processing papers to qualify an account to a new provider. You simply have to process the transfer of address. Plus, you can trust the provider has excellent services. This prevents you from further hassle that goes into moving homes.

If your current provider doesn’t have services in your new home, it’s best to switch. Staying in your current provider — amidst not having great services in your new address — can lead to poor performance and even frequent blackouts or outages. 

2. Checkout providers who have excellent services in your new address

Choosing the right provider is one of the biggest factors in setting up home utilities. Some providers only service specific areas, which may affect the performance of your utilities. Also, some providers may have special fees before they can service your new house.

One of the best ways to know the best providers in your area is to ask your neighbours. Likely, they already know which providers have excellent service in your new home. Otherwise, you may do your manual research by visiting each provider’s websites. Or, you can simply use a CompareBear's comparison website to filter and narrow down your best options.

It’s recommended to take time searching for the best providers in your new address. As much as possible, do this 1-2 months before the date of your move. This way, you have ample time to haggle the best deal for you.

3. Preparing for requirements

Whether you’re transferring your current utility or connecting to a new one, providers need certain requirements to process your request. This may vary from provider to provider, but most providers require the following:

  • Full name
  • Phone number
  • Email address
  • Address of your old home (if transferring utilities)
  • Address of your new home
  • Any form of identification 
  • Credit or debit information (for processing payments)
  • Meter Point Reference Number (for gas supplies)
  • Meter Point Administration Number (for electricity supplies)
  • Number of people that will live in the household

To save you time, it’s best to prepare many copies of these documents. You’ll not only pass this to your broadband provider, but also to gas, electricity, water, and other utility providers. 

4. Arrange utilities setup

Setting up home utilities may take some time. Some providers may only have set dates when they can install in your new address. Give at least 2 weeks allowance before the date of your move. If you can allot more time, do so.

If there are installation charges and extras fees, make sure to ask ahead. This prevents you from getting bill shock when you finally receive your first billing statement. Also ask about security deposits, transfer fees, cancellation fees, and other charges. No matter how tiny of a concern it is, you can never be too sure — so ask it.

If you’re free on the day of the installation, it’s recommended to go there yourself. This enables you to monitor the installation, and to clarify any questions you may have. This way, you know exactly how to operate your utilities, or how to execute quick easy fixes. Plus, you can test then and there if the installation is successful.

5. Test the utilities at least for a week

If your utilities aren’t working excellently, don’t rant to your provider just yet! It may just be a bad day for your provider. Give it at least a week after your move to test everything out. If it still doesn’t deliver the promised performance, you may ask your provider why. if it still persists, you know what to do — switch! CompareBear's comparison tool makes it easy for you.

If you’ve done all the right fixes and your utilities are still not working properly, it may be time to switch providers. Make sure you have the right providers this time. Use our comparison website, right here at CompareBear to filter and narrow down the best providers in your area.

Compare the NZ’s leading utility providers and get the perfect deals today!