OVO, a UK-based zero carbon living brand, and AGL, Australia’s largest energy retailer and generator have announced an agreement to bring digital services to Australia, putting Australian at the centre of the energy transition.

The joint venture gives AGL exclusive access in Australia to Kaluza, OVO’s customer experience and energy flexibility platform which has been developed to power millions of customer accounts.

The AI-enabled Kaluza platform gives users world-class tooling for retailers, helping them transform their operations, give them real-time insights and help reduce their bills.

At the same time, Kaluza orchestrates the charging of EVs, energy storage systems and other flexible home devices to help enable the shift to a low-carbon future.

As part of the agreement, AGL will invest in OVO Energy Australia to adapt the Kaluza platform for Australia and serve a growing customer base with innovative products and services. The companies will work together, drawing on their expertise in low-carbon innovation and energy retail, to develop digital customer experiences that may ultimately help support AGL’s customers who are looking to reduce their costs and carbon emissions.

Australia has one of the highest levels of rooftop solar generation in the world and ensuring grid stability is a priority as energy supply continues to decentralise. Kaluza’s software is ideal to help solve grid challenges by intelligently shifting device charging to times of lower demand.

“While the shift to renewables is driving decarbonisation of the power sector, the hard work of tackling carbon emissions in the rest of the economy, in particular the residential sector, is just beginning,” OVO chief executive and founder Stephen Fitzpatrick says.

“We are proud to be working with AGL, a true household name in Australia, to bring the power of our technology to a market that is at the forefront of the zero-carbon revolution.”

AGL chief executive and managing director Brett Redman says that through the venture, AGL will bring world-class technology and innovation to Australia: “Central to the market forces that shape our strategy, is customer demand. This collaboration will help us ensure our customers have choice and flexibility when it comes to their essential services.

“AGL has been evolving our offerings, with carbon-neutral, multi-product options and decentralised energy solutions and this will allow us to continue into the future.

“Our agreement with OVO represents an exciting opportunity to work together to meet that objective, exploring the right innovative systems to meet future demand and digitising the customer experience.”