To lift the veil on the complex world of energy, Origin’s new podcast So Watt? gives you the inside scoop on all things energy. From what’s coming, why you should care, and most importantly, what’s in it for you – So Watt? has the answers.

So, Watt’s it about?

Hosted by comedian and passionate home renovator Andy Saunders – who you may recognise from the 2019 season of The Block as one half of fan favourites “Andy and Deb” – So Watt? delves into Australia’s evolving energy sector and the driving forces that are propelling it towards a smarter, more sustainable future.

A self-professed energy newbie, each episode will see Andy tackle a new piece of the energy puzzle in an effort to better understand why the sector is changing and how he (and you) can play a part. “I’ve always had an interest in sustainable design for homes, but up until now I haven’t really spent much time looking into the different smart and clean energy solutions available today,” Andy said. “I’m excited to be hosting my first podcast and sharing what I’ve learnt about energy including how I can reduce my carbon footprint, and how I can save some coin in the process.”

From EVs, to online gaming, the Jetsons, solar and home batteries, the six-part series tackles some big (and small) energy related questions, all the while providing handy energy hacks.

Featuring interviews with everyday Aussies as well as industry experts, including banking disruptor Up Banking’s Dom Pym and the father of photovoltaics, AKA solar, Martin Green, So Watt? gives you access to some of Australia’s brightest innovators in an upbeat, no-nonsense easy to digest format. 

So Watt? brings together experts, innovators and change-makers to help ordinary Aussies understand the tremendous transformation underway in how energy is produced and consumed and how ordinary households and businesses will all play a role.

So, Watt next?

Get a taste for So Watt? The first episode is set to drop on Wednesday the 10th of November. New episodes will be released weekly on a Wednesday.

Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts today! Want to know more?

The post So Watt? you ask… appeared first on The Origin Blog.

With data and analytics increasingly driving energy (and empowering customers with cleaner and smarter solutions) and energy companies like Origin branching out into areas such as broadband and EVs, we’re encouraging start-ups and innovators from the energy sector, and beyond, to come forward with new ideas and solutions for customers.

As one of Australia’s leading energy companies, with 4.2 million customer accounts, working with us is a unique opportunity to launch your idea on a mass market scale.

Supporting Originate is a new partnership with Australian innovation hub Stone & Chalk, which brings start-ups together with potential corporate partners, investors and mentors and will allow us to look beyond energy and apply ideas from other verticals to our own use cases.

“We have a long track record working with startups both in Australia and internationally, helping to foster ideas that capitalise on growing trends including the convergence of data and energy, growth in renewables, storage and green fuels,”

Tony Lucas, Origin’s Executive General Manager, Future Energy & Technology.

“Over the past three years, we’ve reviewed more than 2,500 start-ups and ideas, and know what we are looking for in terms of ideas that we can nurture and help to take that crucial next step.

“We’re a founding member of the global Free Electrons start-up accelerator program and have already commercialised ideas such as Origin Spike – our gamified demand response program developed with US start-up OhmConnect.

“Australia has a rich heritage in innovation, producing world-changing technology such as Wi-Fi, ultrasound and cochlear implants – and more recently producing world leading innovators in software and fintech. We want to tap into the local tech community which we’re confident has ideas on how to make energy easier, smarter and cleaner for our customers.

“Originate and our collaboration with Stone & Chalk give start-ups the opportunity to tap into the knowledge of our senior executives and develop their ideas.”

Stone & Chalk General Manager for Sydney, Marie-Anne Lampotang said, “The partnership between Origin and Stone & Chalk is a fantastic opportunity for both organisations to help shape the future of energy delivery in Australia. We will be connecting our start-ups that offer a range of innovative solutions that can help innovate across Origin Energy’s technology stack.

“Stone & Chalk is focused on shaping the future of emerging tech sectors by catalysing the commercial success across our impact network and helping them on the next stage of their journey to scale their businesses. Origin’s Originate program may be the accelerator that boosts one of our start-ups into its next stage of growth and we are excited to be partnering with them.”

Are you a startup or business with a bright idea?

The post Origin launches Originate to hunt out Australia’s new energy ideas appeared first on The Origin Blog.

So far, over 13,000 Origin customers are Spike members – and collectively they’ve earned over one million points to date. Members are rewarded with PayPal cash or gift cards for reducing their energy use during peak periods and meeting their energy-saving goals.  

Get paid for saving energy 

Origin customers who sign up for Spike are invited by email or SMS to participate in regular energy-saving challenges called SpikeHours.  

A SpikeHour is a brief window of time when demand on the energy grid is high. During a SpikeHour, Spike community members are challenged to reduce their energy use with small behaviour changes like turning off lights and adjusting heating or cooling thermostats. Postponing the use of washing machines, dryers, ovens and other energy-hungry appliances can help, too.  

When community members meet their energy-saving goals¹, they’re rewarded with points that can be redeemed for PayPal cash or gift cards.² Members who regularly reduce their energy use by 60 percent during SpikeHours could earn around $250 per year in rewards.³

With Spike, you can even connect smart devices, like smart plugs and AC controllers, to Spike to help automate energy-saving and earn more points.  

The first Aussie program of its kind

We partnered with innovative US startup OhmConnect – the team behind popular mobile apps Words with Friends and Farmville – to launch Origin Spike in Australia.  

 “Origin Spike is the first program of its kind in the Australian energy market,” said Jon Briskin, Origin Energy’s Executive General Manager, Retail. “It’s a simple and fun way for customers to get some extra cash in their pocket as a reward for making small changes to their energy use.  

“While customers will be rewarded for shifting their energy use, the broader network will also benefit as we can help reduce demand, and support grid stability during peak periods.”  

Since it started back in 2014, OhmConnect has grown to more than 675,000 users across the US and Canada. It has paid more than US$12 million in rewards for a reduction of over 5.2 gigawatt hours in electricity demand.

The post Introducing Origin Spike appeared first on The Origin Blog.

Australians have embraced rooftop solar, with one of the highest penetration rates in the world. But despite being the perfect partner to solar, the take up of battery storage in the home has been much lower – but that is expected to change.

High upfront costs, the size of many wall or floor-mounted units and the inability to take it with you when you move are some of the hurdles to many adopting battery technology in their homes. Despite 49 per cent of Australians saying they expected they would have storage sometime in the future, only four per cent currently do[1]. During 2019, there were 287,500 rooftop solar systems installed around Australia, but only 22,600 small scale batteries installed[2].  

What if you could install a battery without fuss at your house and you can even take it with you when you move?

Origin working with Orison to help bring storage to the masses

We are excited to support Orison, a US-based energy storage startup that is developing a modular system that can be easily installed by apartment dwellers, renters and homes with or without solar, giving more people the opportunity to participate in the storage revolution and control when and where they use energy in their home.

Orison was part of Free Electrons, a global energy startup accelerator program that Origin co-founded in 2017 to discover, develop and trial the best technologies to make energy easier and smarter for customers.

As part of this partnership, Origin is looking to offer Orison batteries exclusively in the Australian market sometime in the near future.

How does it work?

The Orison system is modular so you can keep adding units to meet your energy needs, and for the first time, if you move home you can take the system with you.

Orison could also help early adopters of solar who have smaller systems (2-4kW) add storage without a costly retrofit and continue to get value out them after feed in tariffs have stopped or are rolled-off.

A battery could be used for back-up in the event of a power failure or even better, to help save money on energy costs and reduce emissions, if you charge it when energy is cheaper during the day or being generated on your roof for free and discharge it at night when prices are higher. This is called load-shifting.

Want to learn more?

As energy continues to transition to more distributed, decentralised generation, storage will be one of the ways people will be able to manage their energy costs and reduce their emissions. Orison has real potential to make storage mainstream and accessible to everyone, on any budget or household type.

Watch this space for more updates and be the first to learn when the product becomes available in Australia by contacting us at orison@originenergy.com.au.

[1] Origin Energy, Good Energy Report, 2019

[2] Clean Energy Council, Clean Energy Australia Report 2020, April 2020.

The post The modular battery that could revolutionise home storage appeared first on The Origin Blog.