Counties Energy owns and operates the electricity distribution network that runs from coast to coast between southern Papakura and Mercer, and west of the Waikato River from Mercer to Waikaretu. While our business transitions into a smarter energy system in line with rapid technological advancements and changing consumer preferences, our network will always be its foundation.
How we use energy as a community and as a country is changing. The way our energy is generated is also on a new trajectory, one that protects our future environment and generations. To meet these changes, we must innovate to ensure our community thrives. As a consumer-owned electricity distribution company, we’ll continue to make much broader decisions across our network and beyond, in a smarter, safer and more sustainable way.
As an electricity distribution company, Counties Energy receives power from the transmission system (operated by Transpower) at voltages of either 110kV or 33kV and transports this to nine different substations.
The substations then convert the electricity to different voltages, either 22kV or 11kV, before this is distributed to homes and businesses on our network.
Our substations are located at Opaheke, Ramarama, Pukekohe, Karaka, Waiuku, Maioro, Pokeno, Tuakau and Mangatawhiri.
Besides substations, the electricity distribution network also includes the assets described below.
This is the most visible part of any distribution network and can be seen on most roads in New Zealand. Given the rural nature of our network, we have mostly overhead power lines and poles, with just 10% of the network underground.
Power is transported at high voltage for efficiency and transformed to lower voltages as it gets closer to its destination. There are around 3,100 pole-mounted transformers and 635 ground-level transformers on our network.
To ensure the safe and efficient flow of electricity to homes and businesses daily, we have a team of network controllers who monitor and manage our network 24/7 remotely.
Here, you’ll find answers to frequently asked questions about the Counties Energy network.
A service line is the line that connects your premises to our electricity network. If you require a new service line to our network, your contractor must contact us before starting work. The work for this new connection is at your cost and the ownership provisions below will apply.
You own the part of the service line which is located inside the boundary of your property (the grey and blue lines on the below diagrams).
We own the part of the service line which is located outside the boundary of your property (the red and green lines on the below diagrams).
Any transformer which we have installed on your property, and which is connected to our network, is owned by us (unless we have specifically agreed that you or someone else owns this; this is not normally the case). Where a high voltage line connects a transformer on private land to our network, it is generally customer owned. You must pay for any repairs or alterations. This can be done by Counties Energy or by other qualified contractors.
A number of customers’ premises may be connected to our network at a single network connection point or by a high voltage line on private land. For example, this would occur on a right-of-way or a private road. This is a private network and is jointly owned by you and each of the other customers connected to the private network (unless you have an agreement to the contrary, with the other private network customers).
Each owner of a private network is responsible for maintenance and replacement of the private network, and for vegetation control. If we are called out to do any work (including the installation of any new connection) on a private network, we will:
– charge the customer requesting the work;
– assume that we have the authority of all the private network customers to carry out the work requested.
Each of us is responsible for maintenance and repairs of the part of a service line which we own.
We will inform you if we become aware of any maintenance needed on your part for your service line, or if it needs replacing. However, it is ultimately your responsibility to maintain and repair any damage to your part of the service line.
If the part of the service line that you own is disconnected for any reason from our network, we may refuse to reconnect your part of the service line if it is unsafe.
If there is any vegetation growing on your property close to your service line (or to our network), you are responsible for keeping this trimmed, to avoid any ongoing interference.
If vegetation on your property interferes with our network, we will ask you to trim it. If you fail to do this when we ask you to do so, we can trim the vegetation at your cost.
The grey and blue lines on these diagrams represent the parts of the service lines (which are located inside the boundary of your property) that you own and are responsible for.
The red and green lines on these diagrams represent the parts of the service lines (located outside the boundary of your property) that Counties Energy owns and is responsible for.
