The agreement. tīrama Energy

Why a term at all

There is real equipment involved. A battery, an installer, a day of someone's labour and a piece of hardware that stays on your wall. None of that is charged to you, which means it has to be paid for over time rather than upfront.

Three years is the shortest term that covers that cost while keeping your rate lower than the cheapest equivalent plan in your area when you sign. We walk you through the agreement in plain language before you sign, so you know exactly what’s included.

The agreement at a glance

	What happens
Term	Three years from the day your battery is switched on, not the day you sign.
The battery	Belongs to tīrama the whole time, so there’s nothing for you to buy, insure or sell. If there’s an issue, we fix it or replace it at no cost to you.
If you move house	If we serve your new address, we install a fresh battery there on a new three-year agreement, with no break fee. One move is free if it’s more than 12 months into your agreement. Any other move costs $500 to collect the battery.
If you leave early	You can exit the agreement with notice. A break fee applies, published below, and we arrange for the battery to be removed.
If we increase your rate	You can leave without a break fee.
At the end of the three years	Stay on with the battery in place, or leave with no break fee and we arrange for the battery to be removed. We let you know in advance.

The full agreement is in the Customer Agreement (PDF) and the customer terms.

Break fees

The break fee is $25 for each month left in the three years. It starts at $900 and drops by $25 every month, counted from the day your battery is commissioned.

Time into the agreement	Break fee
First month	$900
6 months	$750
12 months	$600
18 months	$450
24 months	$300
30 months	$150
36 months or more	Nil

If we increase your rate, you can leave without a break fee.

An example home in Christchurch

This is a Christchurch home using 10,000 units a year. We compare it with the cheapest equivalent plan we found for that home in Christchurch. Each month it pays about $8 less for power than it would on that plan, and its 20% share of what the battery sells comes to about $10. That is about $18 a month in total.

A smaller home using 7,000 units a year pays about $6 less and its share comes to about $14, so about $20 a month.

Both homes have saved and earned more than the break fee after 21 months.

Leave after	Break fee	Most homes10,000 units a year	Smaller homes7,000 units a year
6 months	$750	$638 behind	$631 behind
12 months	$600	$377 behind	$362 behind
18 months	$450	$115 behind	$93 behind
21 months	$375	$15 ahead	$41 ahead
24 months	$300	$146 ahead	$176 ahead
30 months	$150	$408 ahead	$445 ahead
36 months	Nil	$669 ahead	$714 ahead

Behind or ahead is what the home has saved and earned up to that month, minus the break fee due when it leaves.

How these figures are worked out

The home has about a third of its use in the expensive hours, and electric hot water on a controlled meter.
The comparison is with the cheapest equivalent plan we found for this home in Christchurch on 29 October 2026, billed on the same use. If your current plan costs more than that, you save more each month.
Our rates are as at 29 October 2026 and can change, as any retailer’s can.
Your share is 20% in years 1 to 3. What the battery sells is estimated from Christchurch wholesale prices from 2021 to 2025. It rises and falls with the market and with how busy your local network is. It is not a guaranteed amount.
Monthly figures are a year averaged over 12 months. The battery sells most in autumn and winter, so the month a home passes the break fee depends partly on when it joins.
Prices include GST. This is an example, not a quote. Your figures depend on your home and your area, and the calculator works them out for you.

At the end of the three years

The battery remains tīrama’s property. Before the agreement ends we let you know your options: stay on with the battery in place and keep your share of what it earns, or leave and we arrange for the battery to be removed.

Special fees

These are the only fees on top of your power rate and daily charge. Where an amount depends on the work needed, we tell you what it is before we do it.

Fee	Amount
Break fee, if you leave in the first three years	$25 for each month or part month left, as set out above
Moving house, to collect the battery	$500. One move is free if it’s more than 12 months into your agreement
Paying by credit card	1% of the amount paid
Damage to the battery caused deliberately or carelessly	Our reasonable cost of repair, or the battery’s market value if it can’t be repaired
Battery not returned when the agreement ends	The battery’s market value
Disconnection and reconnection	At cost, shown in any disconnection notice
After-hours reconnection, at your request	At cost, quoted before the work
Meter test, at your request	At cost, quoted before the test. No charge if the meter is faulty
Moving or upgrading your meter, or permanent disconnection, at your request	At cost, quoted before the work

All fees include GST. We don’t charge late payment fees, debt collection fees or interest on overdue balances.

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