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Participating in Peak Energy Rewards

Learn how Peak Energy Rewards works, how to participate and tips to shift your energy use to get rewarded. 

Haven’t signed up yet? Find out more

Targets and kilowatt-hours (kWh) explained

Your reduction target for each peak event is measured in kilowatt-hours (kWh), which is a unit of energy that measures your home’s electricity use in an hour. Your digital smart meter records this information, which we use to set your personalised target. 

What you need to know

  • You’ll need to lower your energy use to meet your kWh target during the peak event. We’ll tell you exactly how much via SMS. 
  • Your target is personalised for each peak event based on your past energy usage at home in similar weather conditions and data from your digital smart meter.  
  • If you’re new to AGL or have recently installed a digital meter, we’ll set your target based on similar households' usage. 
  • You’ll be rewarded with bill credits if your electricity use is lower than your reduction target during the event. 

We estimate how many kWh you’d typically use during a peak event based on your digital smart meter’s data. Then, we adjust this number to account for variables such as similar weather, and typical electricity usage at that time and day.

Reducing your energy use

It’s up to you to decide how you want to reduce your energy use. To help you meet your target, we recommend you start adjusting your energy use before the peak event starts. This may include pre-heating or cooling your home before the start of the event. You could also delay the use of large appliances until after the event.  

When the event is over, we’ll send an SMS letting you know that you can resume your usual energy use again. 

Common appliances and their typical energy use¹

A kWh measures your home’s energy use in one hour.

Common appliances and their energy use

We’ve captured a few energy saving ideas that could help you reduce your energy use during an event: 

  • Delay using large appliances such as a washing machine, clothes dryer or dishwasher. 
  • Turn your air conditioner to economy mode, and adjust the temperature a few degrees higher, or try using a fan instead. 
  • Avoid using an electric oven or stove and use your BBQ instead. 
  • Close doors to rooms you are not using and use draft stoppers. 
  • Hang clothes outside to dry or use a clothes rack instead of a dryer. 
  • Turn lights and appliances off when not using them. 

Explore energy saving tips

Reducing your solar use

If you’re a solar customer, we'll either ask you to export more energy to the grid, or import less energy from the grid. 

  • If we ask you to export more, this means you’ll need to give back any excess energy produced by your solar panels to meet your reduction target. If you have a solar battery, you may be storing this excess energy. If you don’t have one, excess energy will be automatically exported. 
  • If we ask to you import less, you can adjust energy use by turning off or adjusting appliances at home.

Getting notified about rewards and energy saved

We’ll send an email around a week after a peak event sharing any rewards you may have earned and how you performed.  

By participating you could earn electricity bill credits², up to: 

  • $5 credits for each 1-hour event
  • $10 credits for each 2 or 3-hour event

You can also view your peak event usage in My Account or the AGL app

Moving homes and eligibility

Let us know if you’re moving into a new property. We’ll check if it has a compatible digital smart meter and if you’re still eligible to participate. You need to be an AGL electricity plan customer located in Victoria, New South Wales, South Australia or Queensland to participate in Peak Energy Rewards.  

For more information, view the Peak Energy Rewards Terms & Conditions

You can deregister from Peak Energy Rewards at any time: 

  • Use the deregister link included in your Program SMS
  • Email 'deregister' to peakenergyrewards@agl.com.au
  • Call AGL on 1300 377 118 and select option ‘3’ 
  • Deregister via My Account

If you change electricity providers or leave AGL, you won’t be eligible to participate in this program anymore. 

You must have email and SMS marketing consent to participate. If you unsubscribe from general marketing with AGL, you won’t be eligible to participate anymore.  

Peak Energy Rewards' impact

Peak Energy Rewards is a demand response program. This means when there’s increased demand on the electrical grid, we’ll invite electricity customers to temporarily shift or reduce their home energy consumption. 

Peak events are unplanned and can take place anytime throughout the day, often triggered by extreme weather conditions and electricity supply constraints. Shifting energy use during these periods helps us to manage peak demand and the risks it causes, such as power outages.  

1Please note that these are representative energy consumption figures, calculated for average appliances of this type and are provided for illustrative purposes only. Your actual energy use may vary depending on the brand, type and age of your appliance. 

2$5 is the maximum available credit per 1 hour event and $10 is the maximum available credit per 2–3 hour events if you: (1) opt in to an event, and (2) reduce your energy usage to or below your pre-set personalised energy reduction target. Targets will be set for your individual property and notified to you prior to each event and may differ with each event. 

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