Energy supplier E.ON Next has partnered with smart energy platform Kraken to launch new flexible energy products for domestic consumers.
The two firms have created ResidentialFlex, which is described as an advanced flexible demand management system designed to make energy cheaper for consumers. The system will use AI to automatically move energy consumption from high energy use sources such as EV chargers, heat pumps and home battery energy storage, to the most cost-effective times of day when energy prices are cheaper. Furthermore, the system will help with grid balancing by monitoring strain on the local energy grid and shifting energy use to times when there is an oversupply of clean energy on the grid.
According to the two companies, the ResidentialFlex platform will serve over five million existing E.ON Next customers with smart meters, and the first wave of smart energy products and tariffs to leverage the platform will focus on EV charging based tariffs and products.
Kraken CEO Amir Orad called the creation of ResidentialFlex “a key step” in delivering a smart energy system for the nation, noting that it is “time for a rethink” in how energy is consumed across the UK.
He also emphasised the need for change across the energy system: “The old ways just won’t cut it – sticking to the status quo won’t drive the energy transition, and the cost of simply throwing money at transmission infrastructure would be sky-high.”
The Kraken smart energy platform is owned by Octopus Energy, the UK’s largest energy supplier. Octopus Energy has been placing a significant amount of attention on the EV infrastructure market in recent years, particularly through its Intelligent Octopus Go EV tariff. Intelligent Octopus Go leverages the Kraken platform to combine over 150,000 EV batteries into virtual power plants (VPPs); in 2024, Intelligent Octopus Go marked a significant milestone as it celebrated managing a cumulative 1GW of EV batteries through the tariff.
E.ON Next is not the only energy supplier to partner with Kraken; last year, EDF joined forces with Kraken to use the platform’s advanced analytics and AI capabilities for its customers, migrating over five million meter points onto the Kraken platform.
