The Electricity Engineers’ Association (EEA) has published the outcome of its small-scale trial into the installation and functionality of smart devices in homes.
The report Seed Project: assessment, findings and recommendations, documents the approach, methodology and results of the trial and includes recommendations for the larger trial planned for later this year.
The FlexTalk Seed Project is a collaboration between the EEA and Energy Efficiency and Conservation Association (EECA). The project was designed to explore and test the practical application of installing and signalling smart devices to enable demand flexibility in New Zealand.
EEA Chief Executive Nicki Sutherland says demand flexibility has a key role to play in empowering New Zealand consumers to have more control over their electricity use.
” Smart devices give consumers more control on how and when they use power. With control comes potential savings for individuals, communities and at a national level as demand flexibility contributes to a low-carbon, resilient and consumer driven energy future. ”
The trial reinforced the importance of addressing several key steps to enable widespread adoption of demand flexibility such as:
- Ensuring interoperability and standardisation of demand-side technologies to enable seamless integration across the energy system.
- Establishing clear market signals and regulatory frameworks that incentivise participation.
- Scaling successful pilot projects into fully operational solutions to demonstrate the potential impact.
New Zealand has a timing advantage over other countries who introduced consumer incentives before tackling the technical, regulatory and installer training needs. Getting these foundations in place before widespread uptake is essential to our story being one of success. New Zealand has a strong foundation to create a more flexible and responsive electricity system but realising its full potential will require a coordinated effort across regulators, network operators, retailers, technology providers, and consumers.
Technical best practice, practical application and making sure we share our knowledge are critical elements to a cohesive approach to enabling consumers to make the most of smart energy management systems.
“Without a coordinated effort, we risk duplication and unnecessary complexity which increases the potential for errors and confusion for consumers. This trial demonstrates the many considerations and steps involved embedding these systems and the benefit of testing all aspects of the application before going too big too soon.” says EEA Chief Executive Nicki Sutherland
The SEED project builds on the foundational work of the original FlexTalk project, the Demand Flexibility Common Communications Protocol Project (2024), which examined open communication protocols used between flexibility suppliers and end use devices in consumer homes.
For more information, read the full report under our FlexTalk reports and resources.
