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"Soften the peak": Shifting electricity use off-peak could save billions

Author
Newstalk ZB,
Publish Date
Tue, 27 Jan 2026, 10:41am
Photo / 123RF
Photo / 123RF

"Soften the peak": Shifting electricity use off-peak could save billions

Author
Newstalk ZB,
Publish Date
Tue, 27 Jan 2026, 10:41am

More flexible electricity use could save the country billions of dollars.  

The Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority's new report finds about 18 hundred megawatts of demand could be shifted away from peak times. 

Their analysis found $3 billion dollars could be saved without changing how people live and work. 

Octopus Energy COO Margaret Cooney told Ryan Bridge it might mean that instead of putting your dishwasher on at 7pm, when there’s still a lot of demand on the grid, you put the timer on for 11pm.  

She says it would help us avoid having to invest in really expensive infrastructure, save consumers money, and allow for more energy users and renewables to be integrated into the system faster. 

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