Contact is a power generation company in New Zealand which has partnered with a program called Fly Buys. Fly Buys is a loyalty rewards program which enables members to collect points redeemable for rewards such as flights, hotels, food, electronics, and more. Members earn points by shopping at a variety of stores and retailers.

Customers of Contact who are also members of Fly Buys can receive points based on their electricity and gas bills, wherein every $50 equals one point. Although this rewards scheme is not centered around conservation or promoting efficiency like the 20/20 program in California, it could easily be altered to reward such positive behavior.

The following facts illustrate the stakeholders involved in this arrangement: According to their website, Fly Buys has over one million household members, equal to over 70 percent of New Zealand households. Contact is one of the two largest retailers of gas in New Zealand, and a major producer and retailer of electricity. The relationship between the two companies might be explained by the presence of Shell New Zealand, which is one of the major producers of natural gas in New Zealand (supplying, among others, Contact) and one of the joint owners of Fly Buys.

Dave Chiu

CATEGORY: ENERGY PROJECT