After introducing “Flatties” a couple of weeks ago, Contact and Special have now enlisted the help of rule-stickler penguin Nigel to motivate all Kiwis to reduce their energy consumption during peak hours.
Contact is investing heavily in creating more renewable energy sources to lead the way in decarbonising New Zealand, but to make an even bigger difference, they need everyone’s help. That’s why they have Good Plans – a simple way for every Kiwi to easily change their energy behaviours for the better of all New Zealand.
The film tells the story of a classic showdown: a stand-off in a kitchen between a flatmate who wants to turn on the dishwater whenever they feel like it and a flatmate who wants to wait until 9pm (or 9am on weekends) when it’s off-peak when energy generation is more likely to be from renewable sources. Flippers are drawn, and a duel is had, and the electricity bill, and this place we call home, emerges the winner.
“We want to do all we can to flatten New Zealand’s power spikes. It’s a challenge, but these small changes can benefit all New Zealanders. Good Plans help us all make those energy behavioural shifts and avoid peak times. With Good Nights your power is free after 9pm until midnight, and with Good Weekends, power is free on Saturday and Sunday from 9am till 5pm. What is not good about that?” said Sam Morse, head of innovation and growth at Contact.
“We have made an instructional message intentionally entertaining to dramatize a very simple and singular point – wait till after 9. It’s a small thing, but with Good Plans we’ll all see a big difference. Here, Nigel is forced to play the role of the delay start button many of our appliances come with, but if we can all get into the habit of problem solving like Nigel, it won’t just make it good to be home now, but for generations to come,” said Special CCO, Jonathan McMahon.
