Marlborough Lines Limited Discount Payment

The discount payment is a share of the success from MLL’s network operations that is returned to eligible consumers connected to the network. The amount that an ‘average’ domestic consumer receives, based on the 2022 regulatory year prices and for a twelve-month consumption period would be approximately $236 (incl. GST).

The discount payment varies for each consumer and is related to the revenue recovered.

Marlborough Electric Power Trust Distribution Payment

The success of investments outside of Marlborough Lines (e.g., Nelson Electricity Limited) is returned to the MEPT, who then determine an amount to be made payable to eligible consumers.

The distribution payments are typically the same amount for each eligible consumer.

Marlborough Lines Limited Discount Payment

The installation must be actively connected on the qualification date and hold an active consumer account with an electricity retailer. Connections that are ‘vacant’ on the prescribed qualification date, i.e., active and with no consumer (as notified by the retailer), or a consumer located in a designated remote part of MLL’s network, are ineligible for the discount payment.

Remote consumers are ineligible because of the higher ongoing costs to supply these connections.

The connection must have been connected at some stage during the calculation period.

Marlborough Electric Power Trust Distribution Payment

The installation must be actively connected on the qualification date and hold an active consumer account with an electricity retailer. Connections that are ‘vacant’ on the prescribed qualification date, i.e., active and with no consumer (as notified by the retailer) are ineligible for the distribution payment.

Marlborough Lines Limited Discount Payment

The amount that each eligible consumer receives will depend on:

a. The number of eligible connections the consumer has;

b. The consumer group type (rates vary across consumer groups – refer to the current pricing schedule);

c. The number of days connected across the calculation period; and

d. The amount of electricity consumed across the calculation period.

Marlborough Electric Power Trust Distribution Payment

The distribution payment is based on the financial performance of MLL’s external investments, and the amount payable to eligible consumers determined by the MEPT.

The qualification date is set by MLL and is typically two to three weeks prior to payment dates. Payments apply to those eligible consumers at ICPs as at the qualification date.

Payment is made to consumers’ electricity retailers. The retailer then applies the payment as a credit to consumers’ electricity accounts. There may be a delay in time from when MLL makes the payment to retailers, until when the discount payment is applied as a credit by retailers to consumers’ accounts.

MLL does not have information on which consumers have been at connections during the calculation period, only at the qualification date. Therefore, MLL can only make payment to consumers (via retailers) for the consumer holding the connection on the qualification date and cannot apportion payments between different occupiers across the discount period.

If you are likely to change as the consumer of the connection (for example through moving property), you may wish to consider including a provision in your sale and purchase agreement.

As the discount must be paid as a credit to the electricity account for your installation we are not in a position to determine monies payable to individuals. The onus is therefore on you to recover the proportion of the discount that you believe is due to you. One way to do this would be to come to a prior arrangement with the person whose name the flat account is held in.

As an electricity consumer you have a contract with your electricity retailer and not MLL (MLL’s contractual relationship is with electricity retailers for the provision of the electricity network).

The discount is a reduction in the price that MLL has charged electricity retailers. As such, the discount needs to be applied in the same way as the initial prices were charged, i.e. through your retailer.

MLL’s contracts with electricity retailers requires passing on the discounts to consumers. If payments were made directly to consumers by MLL, the benefits consumers may receive would reduce due to:

a. additional administration costs, and

b. the payment having a different status for tax purposes.