Origin will nationally rollout its demand management trial, using artificial intelligence to shift energy usage to different times of day, after a trial with South Australian commercial and industrial customers found significant savings.

The trial of the cloud-based software of UK-based start-up Tempus Energy with large Origin customers, including Adelaide Oval and Adelaide University, commenced in South Australia in October 2017 and continued for a year.

Through the integration of the technology, customers have been running assets like industrial air conditioning more flexibly, predicting higher price periods and then shifting non-critical load into times of the day when prices are lower.

Analysis showed that price was very strongly correlated to carbon intensity, with high pool prices signalling periods when carbon intensive generators are working. Avoiding these periods has also helped to lower the carbon footprint of these customers, achieving carbon savings of up to 21 per cent on assets where the technology is being used.

Origin Executive General Manager Energy Supply and Operations, Greg Jarvis, said, “During the trial, we saw the Tempus algorithms drive a shift of customer’s usual load to a different time of day in response to predicted high price periods.

“Across all trial customers, the trial has successfully shifted more than 200MWh of load to reduce their cost and carbon emissions.

“Expanding this trial nationally is just one way we are helping our customers find smarter ways to improve how they use energy – and find savings.”

Tempus Energy founder and CEO Sara Bell said, “We’re delighted with the results achieved in South Australia for Origin’s customers and to be continuing our partnership with Origin to rollout this trial nationally.”