Help available to get power bill discounts

October 6th, 2012
[by David Armstrong]

Many people struggling with their power bills end up paying more than better off people because they miss out on discounts for early payment and paying online.

This perverse outcome is one of the many dealt with by Sjors Brouwer, a Motueka budget advisor with the Family Service Centre. He told the Community & Whanau group on Wednesday that missing out on those discounts will cost people who use Contact Energy for their electricity costs on average at least $250 a year.

Help is at hand, he said. Clients can use Sjors's budget advice service and experience to do the payments via computer in the service's office.

"Contact Energy gives you a big discount if you pay your bills online," Sjors said. "But you don't have a computer. Well, don't worry, we can do all the computer stuff with you and for you at Budget Advice.

"In the past year three of our clients have gone onto online bills through Budget Advice. They used to 'do all I can, with my $40 a week automatic payment', but never got any progress, and just stayed at about $200-300 in arrears. Two of these clients are now in the plus, and so Contact has dropped their weekly amount, and one is almost there.

"If you want us to set you up for online bills, all you do make an appointment, and bring in a power bill and yourself. We can do you a printout every month, or quarter for example, and if this is the only issue you want to discuss with us, that is fine."

He said similar issues for other power companies, but Contact is the clearest, and the only one to have the online billing discount of 12%. People without enough money to have a computer - nearly one half of his clients - are automatically penalised.

The 22 people attending the Community & Whanau meeting also heard a presentation by Miranda Sikking, the new HIPPY coordinator at the Family Service Centre.

HIPPY is a home based educational programme for preschoolers age 3½ years or older. The programme is for 30 weeks each year, over two years, with a tutor who visits the family at home. The fun activities guide and support the child in their learning. There is a guided 15 minutes per day instruction time, and the aim is to extend the ideas and activities into everyday life.

The philosophy of HIPPY is helping parents to be educators at home, Miranda said. The programme is fully home-based and teaching is always by role-play. It also aims to build relationships between parents and their community.

In New Zealand there are about 1780 families in 32 communities taking part in HIPPY programmes, with about 30 families in Motueka. The local unit is one of only two in the South Island. Miranda said they were hoping to get an intake of 40 families starting next year.

Involvement in HIPPY provides potential employment opportunity for parents as the HIPPY tutors are recruited from the parents in the programme.

Another youth service new to Motueka was introduced to the meeting. The Snapshot programme supports young people aged 14 to 17 who are considered "at risk" to make positive decisions and positive actions in their lives.

Practical assistance offered during a 12-week programme include gaining a driver's licence, moving toward independence, completing outstanding community work, and researching options for education and training or vocation.

The Nelson-based Snapshot service now has a half-time presence in Motueka, at the Gateway Housing Trust building in Tudor Street.

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