Demand-side management helps consumers limit energy costs
South African smart-home energy technologies company Sensor Networks has partnered with European demand-side management specialist ThermoVault to bring advanced load-shifting capabilities to geyser units – noted as one of the largest sources of electricity usage in a household, operating independently of whether hot water is needed.
The partnership combines Sensor Networks' smart geyser technology expertise with ThermoVault’s AI-based optimisation engine, to enable real-time, remote control of smart geysers. This aims to enable utilities and licensed load aggregators to shift geyser loads in response to grid needs, without disrupting hot water availability.
Geysers’ thermal energy storage makes them ideally suited to load-shifting, as they allow water to be heated earlier or later without affecting the user’s experience. This flexibility enables the system to automatically optimise heating times, ease pressure on the grid, and improve energy efficiency—with no action needed from the user.
Sensor Networks explains that demand-side aggregation of thermostatically controlled loads, including geysers, heat pumps, and heating, ventilation, and air conditioning systems, is a well-established method for balancing the grid in Europe. These loads act as virtual power plants, capable of shifting megawatts of demand in real time, especially useful as renewable energy introduces more variability into the supply mix.
By bringing the same model to South Africa’s base of residential geysers, Sensor Networks says it aims to help unlock demand response, in coordination with existing utilities and aggregators.
In addition, the company notes that its recent partnership with water heating specialist Ariston significantly boosts the potential to expand the solution. By embedding the capability into new installations, the platform can be scaled to help stabilise the grid while helping households manage costs.
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