Electric Kiwi MoveMaster Solar Plan Explained

Bottom line up front: Electric Kiwi's MoveMaster plan is a time-of-use power plan built around two off-peak windows, the famous Hour of Power (one free hour each day, off-peak) and a 9pm-to-midnight night rate. For solar households, MoveMaster works best when you have a battery that can store low-cost off-peak grid power for evening peak use, and stack that on top of free solar generation during the day. Without a battery, the plan is still useful, but its real magic, treating the grid like a free fuel station for one hour a day, only unlocks when you've got somewhere to put that energy.

This guide is for Kiwi homeowners weighing up whether MoveMaster fits a solar (or solar plus battery) setup. We'll walk through how the plan actually works, where it shines, where it doesn't, and the specific behaviours that turn it from "a slightly more cost-effective power plan" into a genuine cost-cutting tool. We won't quote specific cents per kWh, because retailer pricing changes and our Dynamic Tariff & Buy-Back Engine is the live source of truth for that. Here, we're focused on the strategy.

What MoveMaster Actually Means for NZ Homeowners

Electric Kiwi is one of New Zealand's smaller independent retailers, and they've built a reputation on consumer-friendly plans without termination fees. MoveMaster is their flagship time-of-use (TOU) tariff. The structure has three core elements you need to understand.

• Hour of Power: One free hour of electricity, every day, in an off-peak window you choose from Electric Kiwi's available slots. Use as much as you want during that hour, you pay zero variable cost.
• Off-peak night rate: A lower kWh rate from 9pm to midnight (and other defined off-peak periods), useful for running deferrable loads like dishwashers, EV chargers, and hot water cylinders.
• Peak rate: A higher kWh rate during the morning (typically 7am-9am) and evening (typically 5pm-9pm) peak windows, when the wholesale grid is most expensive.

The plan is designed to reward you for shifting consumption out of peak hours. That's a great philosophy in principle, and a fantastic one if you're a solar household, because the sun is already shifting your consumption for you during the day. The question is what happens at night, and that's where MoveMaster either earns its keep or quietly costs you money.

How MoveMaster compares to other NZ solar-friendly plans

MoveMaster isn't a "solar plan" in the same way Octopus or Ecotricity market their products. It's a general TOU plan that happens to suit solar households if used carefully. For a side-by-side perspective on competitor plans, our deep dives on Octopus Energy's solar tariffs and Ecotricity's Resi-Flex Peak Export plan are the natural next reads.

The short version: MoveMaster is about lower-cost import, while Octopus and Ecotricity lean harder into premium export (paying you well for solar you send to the grid). Which one wins for your household depends on whether you generate more than you use, and whether you have a battery to time-shift.

The Key Numbers and Mechanics

Let's get into the mechanics that matter for solar homeowners. We'll skip the cents-per-kWh numbers (those live on the Dynamic Tariff & Buy-Back Engine) and focus on the structural realities of the plan.

1. The Hour of Power is genuinely free, but small

One free hour per day works out to about 30 free hours a month. If you can dump 3-5 kWh into that hour (a couple of appliance cycles plus topping up a battery), you're looking at meaningful annual savings. If you can dump 10 kWh into that hour (large battery charging, EV charging), you're laughing.

The catch: most NZ homes can't push that much through the meter in one hour without a deliberate setup. A standard household drawing 3-5 kW of load is fine. But to really exploit it, you need either a battery, an EV, or both.

2. The 9pm-midnight off-peak window is the unsung hero

The night rate from 9pm onwards is when wholesale prices generally drop. For a solar household, this is the window where you'd run your dishwasher, dryer, charge your e-bike, and (if you have one) trickle-charge your EV. It's also a window where a battery on a smart controller can top itself up before the morning peak.

3. The peak window is where solar earns its keep

Peak windows on MoveMaster are typically 7am-9am and 5pm-9pm. The morning peak you can't help much with solar (sun's just coming up), but the late afternoon and early evening peak is exactly when a well-sized PV system is still generating, and exactly when a battery can discharge to avoid grid imports.

This is the financial heart of MoveMaster for a solar home: avoid grid imports during the evening peak by using stored solar or stored off-peak grid power.

4. Buy-back rates: the honest part

Electric Kiwi pays a flat buy-back rate for solar export. It's not their strongest selling point compared to Octopus or Ecotricity's peak-window premium rates. If you're generating significantly more than you use, MoveMaster may leave money on the table. Check the live rate on our Dynamic Tariff & Buy-Back Engine before signing anything.

Maximising the Hour of Power With a Battery

This is the strategy that turns MoveMaster from "decent plan" into "weapon-grade tool". A home battery (think 10-13 kWh of usable capacity, like a BYD Battery-Box, Tesla Powerwall, or Sungrow SBR) lets you do something most NZ homes can't: bank that free hour.

The basic playbook

• Pick your Hour of Power window carefully. Electric Kiwi lets you select from available slots. For battery owners, an 11am, 1pm, or 3pm slot lets you charge from the grid during a low-solar day, or top up before the evening peak.
• Set your battery to "force charge" during that hour. Most modern hybrid inverters (Sungrow SH series, Goodwe ET, Fronius GEN24 with BYD, etc.) have a scheduled charge function. Programme the battery to pull aggressively from the grid for those 60 minutes.
• Discharge through the evening peak. Your battery now has free electrons sitting in it. From 5pm-9pm, run the house off the battery. Grid imports approach zero.
• Top up from solar during the day whenever the sun cooperates.

Done correctly, an Auckland or Tauranga home on Vector or Powerco lines can realistically run on solar plus battery for the bulk of the year, importing only during the free hour, the night off-peak window, and on consecutive grey days.

Sizing the battery for MoveMaster

The free hour matters here. To push 10 kWh through the meter in 60 minutes, your inverter has to be rated for at least 10 kW of charge throughput. Most residential hybrid inverters are 5-10 kW. So in practical terms, the typical residential setup can bank 5-8 kWh of no-cost energy per day, which is enough to cover a typical evening peak for an average-sized Kiwi home.

If you're planning a battery system around MoveMaster, talk to your installer about charge rate capability, not just capacity. A 13 kWh battery that can only accept 3 kW of charge won't fully exploit the free hour. Our free quote service matches you with installers who understand TOU strategy.

Off-Peak Charging Strategies (Even Without a Battery)

You don't need a battery to benefit from MoveMaster, but you do need to be intentional. Here are the load-shifting habits that move the needle.

For EV owners

An EV is effectively a battery on wheels. Schedule your charge for either the Hour of Power or the 9pm-midnight off-peak window. Most modern EVs (Tesla, Polestar, BYD, Kia, Hyundai, MG) let you set a charge schedule directly on the car. A 7 kW home charger pulling from 9pm to midnight is 21 kWh of low-cost electrons, which is roughly 100+ km of range every night at off-peak rates.

For hot water cylinder owners

If your hot water cylinder is on ripple control through your lines company (common in Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch), you may have less control. But if it's on a timer or smart switch, set it to heat during the Hour of Power and again briefly during the late-night off-peak window. Hot water is typically 30-40% of a household's electricity bill per EECA, so this is a high-leverage shift.

For deferrable appliances

• Run the dishwasher after 9pm (delay-start function on most modern units)
• Run the clothes dryer overnight if you can't line-dry
• Pool pumps, dehumidifiers, and pond/aquarium gear: timer them to off-peak windows
• E-bike, e-scooter, and laptop charging: stack into the free hour where possible

For solar-only households (no battery)

If you don't have a battery yet, MoveMaster is still worth a look, but the case is weaker. The Hour of Power's value to you is limited to what you can consume in 60 minutes (maybe 3-5 kWh). The 9pm-midnight off-peak window is helpful for night-time loads. But you'll be exposed to the peak rate during the 5pm-9pm evening window when your solar output is fading.

If you generate significant solar surplus and don't have a battery, a retailer with stronger buy-back rates may pay you more overall than MoveMaster's lower import rates save you. That's where plans like Ecotricity's Resi-Flex peak export or Meridian's solar buy-back need to be modelled against MoveMaster on your actual usage data.

What This Means for You (By Persona)

The ROI Pragmatist

MoveMaster's value to you is straightforward arithmetic. If your evening peak consumption (5pm-9pm, four hours) sits around 4-6 kWh, and you can shift it to the free hour or off-peak window via a battery, you're saving the peak rate on roughly 1,500-2,200 kWh a year. The exact dollar saving depends on the peak/off-peak spread, which sits on the Tariff Engine. Plug your own numbers into our quote tool and run the comparison properly.

The Tech-Savvy Optimiser

You're going to love MoveMaster, with caveats. The free hour is a beautiful arbitrage opportunity if you've got the kit to exploit it. Pair it with a Sungrow SH10RT and a 12.8 kWh battery, throw in a Zappi or Wallbox EV charger with TOU scheduling, and you can essentially run your house and your car on stored low-cost energy. The catch: Electric Kiwi's API and integration ecosystem is less mature than Octopus's. If you want to plug into a Home Assistant setup with real-time price signals, Octopus is the better technical fit. If you just want a TOU plan with a clean phone app, MoveMaster is solid.

The Eco-Conscious Family

MoveMaster lets you reduce grid imports during peak hours, which are also (in NZ) the most carbon-intensive hours, when peaker gas plants ramp up. Combined with solar and a battery, you're doing your bit to flatten the demand curve, which has genuine emissions benefits. The downside: Electric Kiwi sources from the wholesale market like most retailers and doesn't market a 100% renewable claim. If carbon provenance matters to you specifically, Ecotricity and Meridian have stronger positioning.

Common Pitfalls (What the Salesperson Won't Mention)

MoveMaster is a good plan, but it's not magic. Here's where Kiwi households trip up.

• Picking the wrong Hour of Power slot. If you choose a 2am slot because it sounded clever, your battery can't make full use of it before morning peak begins. For solar households, daytime slots (11am, 1pm, 3pm) often work better because they pair with battery scheduling.
• Forgetting that the free hour is per ICP (connection point), not per appliance. The whole house shares the hour. There's no point firing up the dryer AND the dishwasher AND charging the EV at the same time if your house has a 60-amp main fuse, you'll trip the breaker.
• Ignoring the buy-back rate. If your roof generates significant export, MoveMaster's flat buy-back may cost you hundreds of dollars a year compared to a peak-export plan. Always run both numbers.
• Underestimating the peak rate. The trade-off for lower off-peak rates is expensive peak rates. If you can't actually shift your evening load (because the family is home, cooking, watching TV), MoveMaster can end up costing more than a flat-rate plan.
• Not checking your lines company's ripple control schedule. If your hot water is controlled by Vector, Orion, or Wellington Electricity ripple, it may already be running on off-peak windows that don't line up with MoveMaster's free hour. You may need to talk to your sparkie about installing a separate controlled circuit.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is MoveMaster a good plan for a solar home without a battery?

It can be, but the benefits are limited. Without a battery, you can only consume what your home draws in real time during the free hour and the off-peak windows. You'll save money, but you may save more on a plan with a stronger buy-back rate if your roof generates surplus solar. Use our Tariff Engine to compare side by side.

How big a battery do I need to make MoveMaster worth it?

Most households see strong results with 10-13 kWh of usable capacity paired with a hybrid inverter that can charge at 5-10 kW. That lets you bank enough off-peak grid power and solar surplus to ride through the 5pm-9pm peak without importing.

Can I use MoveMaster with an EV?

Yes, and arguably this is one of the best use cases. Schedule your EV to charge during the 9pm-midnight off-peak window using either your car's onboard scheduling or a smart EV charger. The Hour of Power can also be used for top-up charges during the day.

Does MoveMaster have termination fees?

Electric Kiwi is known for not locking customers into fixed-term contracts. You can leave anytime without penalty, which is genuinely consumer-friendly. Always double-check the current terms on their signup page, as retailer T&Cs change.

How does MoveMaster compare to Octopus Energy for solar?

Different philosophies. MoveMaster rewards lower-cost imports via the free hour and off-peak rates. Octopus rewards smart usage via dynamic pricing and stronger export rates. Heavy generators benefit more from Octopus. Heavy off-peak importers (battery owners, EV drivers) often do better on MoveMaster. Read our Octopus tariffs guide for a direct comparison.

Does Electric Kiwi service all of New Zealand?

Electric Kiwi services most major regions including Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch, Hamilton, Tauranga, and Dunedin, but availability depends on your lines company. Some smaller lines areas may not be covered. Check your address on Electric Kiwi's website before assuming you can sign up.

What happens during a power cut on MoveMaster?

The plan itself doesn't affect grid outages. If you want backup during a cut, you need a battery with backup capability and an installer who has wired the system for grid-isolated operation. Not all solar installs include this by default, so ask specifically when getting quotes.

Can I change my Hour of Power slot?

Yes, Electric Kiwi lets you switch your Hour of Power slot through their app, subject to slot availability. For solar households, it's worth reviewing your slot seasonally as your generation and consumption patterns shift between summer and winter.

Where to Go From Here

If MoveMaster sounds like a fit, your next step is twofold. First, model your real numbers against your current plan and your actual usage data (Electric Kiwi and your existing retailer can both provide a year of half-hourly data on request). Second, if you don't yet have solar or a battery, model what MoveMaster looks like with one. The free hour is a different beast when you have somewhere to store it.

For the wider context, our guide to NZ solar tariffs and retailers walks through the full landscape. For live buy-back and import rates across all major retailers, the Dynamic Tariff & Buy-Back Engine is your single source of truth. And if you want to know what a properly sized solar plus battery system would actually cost on your roof, our installer-matching service is the next click.