TLC promotes electrical safety and power-saving tips
31 March 2025
The Lines Company (TLC) teams were at the NZ Shearing Championships and Great NZ Muster last week, promoting electrical safety and power-saving tips.
“At TLC we are focused on helping people be safe around electricity and save on their power bills,” said TLC’s Chief Executive Mike Fox.
TLC’s public safety team spoke with around 80 contractors, farmers and other visitors on Friday at their TLC public safety stand at the Les Munro Centre.
“There are many dangers when working around electricity, said Sharlene Sharp, TLC’s Distribution Safety Systems Lead. “Nearly every work site, farm and business has power lines nearby. Workers need to be aware of them and any equipment that could make contact with the lines. It’s vital to know proper power line safety practices.”
Sharlene and TLC’s Health and Safety Advisor Kathryn Griffin walked visitors through key electrical safety tips such as keeping at least four metres away from powerlines while using heavy machinery, knowing where underground electrical infrastructure is when digging, ensuring trees are trimmed away from powerlines and knowing what to do if they or others come into contact with electricity.
“When it comes to electrical safety, there is no room for error,” said Sharlene.
TLC’s Customer and Community Engagement team was also present over the weekend to discuss power-saving tips that can help people save money on their power bills and how to check if they’re on the right plan for their needs.
“Electricity power bills can be confusing,” said Anne Terry, TLC’s Customer and Community Engagement Manager. “Most people tell us they just want to find the cheapest deal, but it is mind-bogglingly hard for consumers to make sense of it all.”
The team chatted with dozens of people on Saturday helping them compare their current bill using switching apps to see if there were cheaper options.
“We encourage customers to check their retail and price plans through apps such as Powerswitch or SwitchMe,” said Terry. “Customers on our network have low switch rates and many may find cheaper plan options if they shopped around retailers.”
“TLC is committed to helping people understand their power usage and where they can find savings,” said Terry.
The team were also there to promote the Maru Energy Trust – an initiative started by TLC in 2018 to work alongside communities to make homes warmer, drier and healthier. Maru insulates cold and damp homes across its network area for free for eligible homes, as well as installing heat pumps.
“Maru’s goal is to help create warmer and drier homes that ultimately use less energy and keep whānau warmer and healthier,” said Terry.