If you are dissatisfied or concerned about any aspect of the electricity network services provided to you by Scanpower, including land or tree related issues, you are entitled to lodge a complaint with us.

Scanpower operates a structured, free and accessible complaints handling process and we endeavour to deal with your concerns in a professional, objective and constructive manner.

Scanpower is also a voluntary member of the Utilities Disputes Scheme, an independent body to which you may refer your complaint if we are unable to resolve to your satisfaction. Information on this scheme is detailed in the attached brochure, and via www.utilitiesdisputes.co.nz

You may lodge your complaint with Scanpower in a number of ways:

• Over the telephone by talking to a member of customer service or management staff.
• In writing, to:
  

  Scanpower Limited
  PO Box 157
  Dannevirke 4942

• By fax, to: 06 374 9592
• By email, to:
  

  This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

• In person, at:
  

  Scanpower Limited Building
  Oringi Business Park
  Oringi Road
  Dannevirke

If there are any special or any extenuating circumstances associated with your complaint (for example, if you are medically dependent or receiving treatment at home) please make us aware of this immediately.

Having received your complaint, Scanpower will make the following commitment to you:

• We will formally acknowledge your complaint in writing within 2 working days of receipt of the complaint.
• A member of the Scanpower management team will then contact you (most likely by telephone or in person) to discuss and deal with your complaint within 7 working days of receipt of the complaint.
• We will keep you regularly informed as to our progress in dealing with your complaint and commit to providing you with an update every 5 working days following our first meeting or discussion with you.
• We will endeavour to resolve your complaint satisfactorily within 20 working days.
• If we believe there is good reason to take up to 40 working days to resolve a complaint, we will notify you of the reason for doing so.

If your complaint is identified as being associated with your electricity retailer, Scanpower will provide assistance in forwarding the complaint to the correct retail representative.

In the event that we reach “deadlock” and are unable to resolve your complaint to your satisfaction within 20 working days (or 40 days if notified of good reason of such an extension as above), you may refer the matter to Utilities Disputes (www.utilitiesdisputes.co.nz). There is no charge for taking a complaint to Utilities Disputes, and we will assist you in doing so if necessary.

The complaint may also be referred to Utilities Disputes (www.utilitiesdisputes.co.nz) at any time earlier than this if Utilities Disputes is satisfied that:

• Scanpower has made it clear they do not intend to anything about the complaint, or
• You, the customer, would suffer unreasonable harm from waiting, or
• It would otherwise be unjust to wait any longer.

The Office of Utilities Disputes can be contacted follows:

If you have any questions or concerns regarding Scanpower’s customer complaint handling process, please do not hesitate to contact us on
0800 80 80 39.

Distributed or embedded generation

Distributed, or embedded, generation (DG) refers to electricity generation that is either:

• Connected directly to a distribution network, or
• Part of a building, premises or other equipment that is in turn connected to a distribution network.

Both of these circumstances are distinct from generation that is directly connected to the national grid.

Electrical safety is paramount

We treat electrical safety as paramount … the safety of our staff & contractors, our customers and the public at large is our first priority. According we have set stringent safety requirements for all distributed generation that includes the following:

• You must obtain a Certificate of Compliance from a registered electrical inspector for your generation prior to connection, just the same as you would need to for any other connection to our network.
• Your generation must include certain protective devices that automatically disconnect and prevent re-connection to our network under specified operating circumstances.
• You must place clearly visible notices both near your own switchboard and at the point of connection to our network stating that there is connected generation that could back-liven the circuit.

We can and will physically disconnect any generation that we consider to be unsafe.

The laws and regulations for connecting distributed generation

The regulatory framework for connecting distributed generation is set out in Part 6 of the Electricity Industry Participation Code (“Code”) which is amended from time to time by the Electricity Authority on their website. This replaces the previous Electricity Governance (Connection of Distributed Generation) Regulations 2007.

Information you should read before applying to connect distributed generation

You should download, read and understand the following information before applying to connect distributed generation:

• Part 6 of the Code.
• Schedule 6.1 to Part 6 (The application requirements).
• Schedule 6.2 to Part 6 (The regulated terms & condition for connection).
• Guidelines for connection of small-scale DG (less than 10kW).
• Guidelines for connection of DG (greater than 10kW).
• Information sheet about DG.
• Part 2 of the Electricity Industry Act 2010.
• Part 2 of the Electricity (Safety) Regulations 2010.

You may need to be become an “industry participant” at the time you connect your generation

The Electricity Industry Act 2010 defines the following people as “industry participants”:

• Section 7(1)(a) of the Act states that a generator is an industry participant.
• Section 7(1)(g) of the Act states that any person (other than a generator) who generates electricity that is fed into a network is an industry participant.

Section 9 of the Act requires every industry participant to:

• Register by supplying the Electricity Authority with the information specified in Section 27(2) of the Act, and
• Comply with the Code.

Section 10 of the Act exempts an industry participant from registering if the participant is a member of a class of participants that has been exempted, or if that participant has been granted an individual exemption. However, an exempt individual must still comply with the Code.

The 3 categories of distributed generation

The regulatory framework for connecting distributed generation sets out 3 categories:

• Less than 10kW for which the following specific technical criteria are met:
  • Design and installation is in accordance with AS 4777.1
  • An inverter is incorporated that has been type-tested and issued with a declaration of conformity with all relevant parts of AS 4777.2 by a laboratory with accreditation issued or recognised by International Accreditation NZ.
  • Has protection settings that meet our connection and operating standards.
  • Complies with our connection and operating standards and our policy on managing network constraints and congestion.
• Less than 10kW for which the above criteria are not met.
• Greater than 10kW.

Technical and operating criteria that you will need to comply with

You will need to visit the following sub-pages of our website and ensure that you understand the technical and operating criteria that you will need to comply with:

• List of inverters approved by us.
• Areas of our network that are or are expected to become congested.
• Our required protection settings.

Obtaining building and resource consents for your distributed generation

Your generation may require the following consents:

• A building consent from the District Council to ensure that your generation is structurally sound and compliant.
• A resource consent from either the District or Regional Council if for example your generation involves using natural resources (particularly water), discharging smoke or erecting tall structures.

We are unable to assist you with any aspects of such consenting.

Scanpower is one of the twenty eight regional electricity distribution companies in New Zealand, supplying power to customers in the Northern Tararua / Southern Hawkes Bay region.

Our network covers a geographic area of 2,100km² and includes 875km of overhead and underground power lines, 1400 transformers and additional assets such as switchgear and circuit breakers.

Scanpower takes supply from the National Grid at Transpower’s Woodville and Dannevirke substations at 110kV and runs an 11kV distribution system. This covers the towns of Dannevirke, Woodville and Norsewood, in addition to rural areas such as Ormondville, Matamau and Weber.

We operate an in-house team of line mechanics, technicians, engineers and project managers who maintain and operate our electricity network assets. Details of this can be found in our annual asset management plan.

Of paramount importance to us is the safety of the general public and our staff. If you have any questions regarding your power supply or notice any potential dangers, we request that you contact our network team immediately on 0800 80 80 39.

Other enquiries such as temporary disconnections, house relocation, new power supplies and trees can also be directed to any member of our network management team.

To report a power outage, please call 0800 80 80 39 at any time to contact our fault response team.