Households power up in latest Resi-Flex trial
Households taking part in the Resi-Flex Phase 3 trial have shown that collective action can make a real difference to network demand, with flexible energy use and smart charging delivering reliable results.
"It’s exciting to see so many households making a measurable impact," says Orion Flexibility Markets Development Lead Mitchell Davis.
"The trial demonstrates that when people are empowered with the right tools and incentives, they consistently shift their energy use and help keep the network resilient."
Evening Savings Sessions led the way, with an average 73% success rate and around 0.804 kW saved for each successful participant, while morning sessions achieved a 61% success rate and 0.701 kW savings. The trial also found that guaranteed payments encouraged greater participation and energy reductions compared to lottery-style incentives.
“We’re seeing real potential for scaling. As Octopus Energy showed, if 20% of New Zealand homes participated in saving sessions, we could reduce the national peak by up to 280 MW. Saving sessions or other equivalent retail products have minimal barriers to rollout nationwide, but still produce large peak reductions and system benefits,” says Mitchell.
Octopus-managed EV charging proved highly effective, shifting 97% of charging away from network peaks, with managed charging peaking overnight around 3:30–4:30am. Participants rarely overrode the system, highlighting trust in the service.
Meanwhile, a 60c/kWh solar export incentive (Orion offering 9c and Ecotricity offering 51c) is driving strong early interest in solar and battery systems, with uptake rising in the trial area. So far, the trial has 50 customers signed up, with the average customer delivering 8kWh during peak times every day.
Feedback from participants reveals a desire for more frequent Savings Sessions, with most motivated by saving money and taking practical steps like delaying large appliances, reducing heating or cooling, and turning off smaller devices.
The Resi-Flex Phase 3 results demonstrate the potential for households to deliver significant demand flexibility right now, even without investing in new distributed energy resources.
If you’re interested in finding out more, the full draft report: Resi-Flex Phase 3 (Draft) Report — February 2026 is available to read.