A lot is happening across government and the energy sector to ensure New Zealanders have access to clean, efficient, affordable energy, while reducing our reliance on fossil fuels and accelerating the adoption of renewables.
Demand management is becoming increasingly important as our electricity demand increases and we transition toward greater use of renewable energy sources.
Read about the work we are doing at EECA to ensure energy users get value from responsive and flexible energy systems.
We will keep this page updated with new developments in our demand flexibility work.
Smart devices and demand flexibility
Smart technology that has the capability for two-way communication with the electricity grid is set to be a game changer.
These smart devices can adjust their energy use in response to signals from the grid, helping to smooth demand peaks without impacting user experience.
EECA's demand flexibility work
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Smart EV charger standards
We've created a voluntary standards programme to support the adoption of EECA-approved smart chargers. The list of approved smart chargers will help New Zealanders identify which chargers are optimally smart and efficient for home and commercial use. The Government's Supercharging EV Infrastructure plan includes enabling regulatory standards for these devices.
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FlexTalk project
EECA has partnered with the Electricity Engineers’ Association (EEA) on the Demand Flexibility Common Communication Protocols Project (FlexTalk). The FlexTalk project is an important step in investigating how to integrate smart devices with a smart grid to optimise energy use. The first report from the trial was published in May.
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Residential smart EV chargers and demand flexibility
Smart charging technology can help manage electricity demand from EVs. Our modelling shows widespread use of smart EV chargers alone could save the country $4 billion by 2050.
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Knowledge and awareness of residential smart EV chargers
We undertook research to understand what EV owners, and people considering buying an EV, understand about smart chargers.