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Counties Energy is in hot water, but the power distribution company’s customers probably won’t mind.
By heating water during off-peak periods, when electricity is less expensive, retailers can reduce costs and pass savings on to customers via pricing plans and offers. The initiative is designed to improve energy resilience while generating savings, Counties Energy’s Moonis Vegdani explains.
“Households are under pressure from rising costs and energy bills and this service gives retailers a practical way to help customers reduce what they pay, without sacrificing comfort,” he says.
“Since first seeking interest from retailers in 2024, we’ve been able to demonstrate that this approach works, effectively and at scale.”
As hot water heating accounts for approximately 30 per cent of a typical household’s electricity use, this could deliver savings without requiring customers to change their day-to-day behaviour, Vegdani explains.
Counties Energy estimates that, where retailers pass on the benefit, customers could save up to $150 per year through managed hot water programmes.
“From a network perspective, this is a fundamentally different approach to managing demand,” says Vegdani. “It allows for more targeted orchestration, better utilisation of existing infrastructure, and a more responsive electricity system overall.”
The recent rollout of the programme follows a six-month pilot, run in conjunction with electricity retailers able to respond to market conditions by reducing load at peak times. It confirmed that the load can be shifted away from peak periods without impacting customer experience, Vegdani adds.
The expansion enables all retailers on the Counties Energy network to access smart, flexible load management for household hot water systems. This will reduce peak demand, lower energy costs and improve the overall resilience of the electricity system.
