Mercury partners with Gentrack to accelerate New Zealand’s transition to a net zero future with a large-scale demand flexibility programme

For immediate release

Gentrack (NZX/ASX: GTK), a provider of next gen solutions for utilities, has partnered with Mercury to deliver distributed energy resource management (DERM) initiatives, designed to help customers make savings and reduce pressure on the national grid at peak times.

This includes Mercury’s smart hot water control programme, which the company is scaling following multiple successful trials.  

Gentrack brings decades of experience working with utilities, along with the technology needed to manage the customer programme and enrolment for controlling large numbers of behind-the-meter household energy devices. Through the platform, customers’ hot water cylinders are connected, monitored, and controlled to optimise energy use and costs. This means they can be switched on or off, or have heating times adjusted.

An electric hot water cylinder makes up around 30% of a home’s monthly power bill. Today cylinders are well-insulated, so they don’t need to be going 24/7 to still have hot water when it’s needed.

The Gentrack platform also leverages technology from Evergen, which helps coordinate and track home devices in real time, managing performance, monitoring connection status, and responding quickly to outages. Together, these solutions create a reliable, scalable setup for Mercury’s smart hot water programme, with the first 50,000 cylinders involved expected to deliver energy savings through shifting around 2 GWh per year away from peak times.

Braam Conradie, General Manager Markets, Mercury   said:

“We’re focussed on enabling customers to shift consumption and lower their costs, which in turn supports efficient use of energy across the system. It’s great to be working with Gentrack to enable initiatives like our smart hot water programme.”

Allan Sampson, General Manager New Zealand, Gentrack said:

“This is exactly where the energy transition is leading us, towards innovative demand-side flex solutions that address the energy trilemma – more reliability, greater sustainability and ultimately lower bills for customers. We’re proud to be working with Mercury to enable smart, flexible energy use that benefits households and supports the continued transformation of the energy sector.”

Working alongside Mercury, Evergen and Bluecurrent, Gentrack is helping reshape the energy landscape, delivering smart, connected, and customer-focused solutions that are essential for a net zero future.

About Mercury NZ Limited

Mercury’s generation assets generate electricity from 100% renewable sources: hydro, geothermal and wind. We’re also a retailer of electricity, gas, broadband and mobile services. We’re listed on the New Zealand Stock Exchange and the Australian Stock Exchange with the ticker symbol ‘MCY’, with foreign exempt listed status. The New Zealand Government holds a legislated minimum 51% shareholding in Mercury.

Visit us at: www.mercury.co.nz