Smart energy efficiency identifier pilot

To speed up decarbonisation and electrification of Australian homes, new techniques are needed to cost-effectively identify easy-fix opportunities and energy efficiency upgrades over a large cohort of homes. These opportunities can save households a considerable amount of money and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.  Through this year’s CoPower participatory budget customer members allocated $12,000 to the Energy Efficiency Fund as part of the Service Budget to improve our service and help-out customer members.  Subsequently, customer members formed a working group which recommended that these funds go to Earthworker Smart Energy Cooperative (ESEC) for the smart energy efficiency identifier pilot project.

The project will pilot the use of smart meter analysis to identify households who can benefit from energy efficiency advice and upgrades. This will help to reduce electricity bills and carbon emissions. Using smart meter data, Analytical Engines (AE) a partner of ESEC, can detect signs of issues such as:

• solar and batteries not functioning
• hot-water leaks,
• heating/cooling that could use attention.

Through detailed home assessments, ESEC can also identify a range of energy efficiency upgrades to customers such as:

• insulation upgrades
• draught-proofing
• zoning of internal areas
• window coverings
• shading
• heating and cooling advice
• electrification advice

Project Plan:

1. Provide notice to Victorian CoPower customer members that their anonymised smart meter data will be used and provide option to opt-out.
2. Filter anonymised CoPower customers member smart meter data from Victoria to identify those with high electricity usage.
3. Split the project group between those with and without rooftop solar.
4. CoPower to contact those customer members identified with high energy usage (approximately 100 households) and provide 5 business days to opt-out of the analysis.
5. AE to analyse the smart meter data and develop recommendations for customers members.
6. ESEC to offer free home assessments to eight customers, using an equity indicator to select the participants.
7. Monitor and report on results of the pilot

Any customer members in Victoria can opt-out of having their anonymised smart meter data being used for this project.  If you would like to opt-out, please email [email protected] stating you would like to opt-out from the smart energy efficiency pilot by Sunday 22 October 2023.