The Power Buddy Home
Energy Handbook.
The plain-English essentials of running a warmer, cheaper, lower-carbon Kiwi home — distilled into 8 printable pages you can read at the kitchen table or hand to a friend who's renovating.
A4 PDF · about 1.5 MB · 2026 Essentials Edition
Six chapters. Eight pages. Zero fluff.
The handbook is the printable companion to mypowerbuddy.co.nz — designed to give you a clear path through the decisions that actually move your power bill.
The two numbers behind every NZ bill, low-user vs standard-user, and the right way to compare plans.
Why oversizing is the #1 mistake, the W/m² rule of thumb, and how to run a heat pump for least cost.
Side-by-side comparison, sizing guide, and when replacing the cylinder pays back fastest.
Realistic NZ payback for panels and batteries, and why the buyback rate is the hidden lever.
The cheap envelope wins, ventilation done right, and the right wallbox for almost every Kiwi home.
10 high-leverage actions for the next 30 days, plus how Power Buddy stays free and independent.
Independent advice has to stay independent.
Power Buddy is NZ-owned and doesn't sell power, heat pumps or solar. We help homeowners decide what's right for their home, and connect them with vetted local installers if they want one. We make a small fee only if you book a job through one of those installers — and we never sell your data.
That's why this handbook is free, ungated, and yours to share with a friend, your builder, or the in-laws who keep arguing about the heat pump set-point. If it saves one Kiwi household an avoidable $500, it's done its job.