The switch has been flicked for public expressions of interest in a South Australian trial that will test the benefits of energy-smart homes.

Launched today by the Minister for Energy and Mining and SA Power Networks Chief Operating Officer, the $13.8 million Energy Masters project will support 500 South Australian households to optimise energy use and save on their energy bills.

Households are able to express their interest at www.saenergymasters.com.au from now until 2 December 2024.

Households selected to participate will receive:

• A free Clipsal Cortex home energy management system (HEMS) to optimise their home energy use
• Subsidies for new heat pump hot water systems or smart split-system air-conditioners, covering 50-90% of the installed cost in most cases
• Access to retail offers from partner retailers Amber Electric and EnergyAustralia, which reward customers for using energy flexibly.

Fifty places in Energy Masters are set aside for low income and energy hardship households to ensure they are supported to join.

In return, households will participate in a research program led by RACE for 2030, aimed at demonstrating the value of energy-smart households and providing valuable information about how technology standards can be changed to deliver better customer outcomes as more customer energy resources (CER) are integrated into the grid.

Places in Energy Masters are not ‘first come first served’. Households will be carefully selected by the project team from the expressions of interest, to make sure the research is representative of as many South Australians as possible.

As part of the research, participating households will trial SA Power Networks’ ‘flexible network connection’, combining their world-leading Flexible Exports initiative with a new flexible import limit. SA Power Networks will be able to send signals to households, via the HEMS device, which will optimise the energy use of designated flexible appliances in response to the network conditions. SA Power Networks is offering financial incentives for customers’ opted-in devices, which will be passed on by the project partner retailers.

Energy Masters households could save several hundred dollars for opting-in to flexible electricity use and optimisation via their HEMS. Beyond this project, modelling undertaken by SA Power Networks suggests that customers who electrify their homes and vehicles could halve total household energy costs.

Recent industry reports estimate that such ‘demand-side flexibility’ presents an opportunity to avoid between $20 billion and $30 billion in generation and network investment across Australia, which will in turn reduce the costs passed through to all electricity customers.

Energy Masters is being led by SA Power Networks, who are contributing $2.8 million to the initiative. The project brings together a unique group of industry partners, selected for their expertise in their respective fields.

Project partners

• Project Lead: SA Power Networks
• Household Engagement Partner: Government of South Australia, Department for Energy & Mining
• Research Partner: RACE for 2030
• HEMS Technology Partner: Clipsal Cortex (part of Schneider Electric)
• Installation Partner: MAC Trade Services
• Energy Retail Partners: Amber and EnergyAustralia
• Delivery Partner and Finance Provider: Plenti

This Project is receiving funding from the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA).

More information

Visit the Energy Masters website

Read more about the pilot in our Projects and Trials section