For more than 180 years, AGL has been innovating with our customers to deliver increasingly simple and convenient experiences that provide choice, value and flexibility.
As we transition to a low-carbon economy, we believe the future of energy will be driven by customer demand, how communities act and how technology evolves.
We’re committed to driving innovation across AGL as we harness the power of these three forces to deliver progress for our customers.
Keeping the customer at the centre
An essential part of the innovation process is ensuring we bring the voice of the customer into AGL. We develop products and services based on customer insight, helping them to better manage their energy needs – particularly as AGL transitions from an energy retailer to Australia’s largest multi-product energy retailer.
We spend time getting this right – knowing how important it is to drive a customer centric culture and encourage innovative thinking.
This includes the way we work with our commercial and industrial customers, such as our innovative 245kW solar carpark with electric vehicle charging stations at Pernod Ricard’s two Barossa Valley wineries in South Australia – helping them achieve their goal of sourcing 100% of their electricity from renewable sources.
We take an experimentation approach to test customer demand for new products and concepts to ensure we’re building the right products and services. This helps us learn, change and grow, and make better decisions for our customers.
We involve our employees in this process through our Innovation Community, where we invite our people to share ideas to solve customer problems and unlock growth opportunities for AGL.
Delivering innovative products and services
To thrive in a world of constant change and disruption, we know we need to continue to challenge the status quo and embrace new technology.
One of the ways we’re doing this is through Peak Energy Rewards – our demand response program that helps customers reduce their energy usage during periods of peak demand. It puts more control in the hands of our customers, while improving reliability.
So far, more than 51,000 customers have been involved in Peak Energy Rewards program – saving an average of 50% on their usage and avoiding the production of more than 50 tonnes of greenhouse emissions. The program not only provides customers with rewards and savings, but also skills they can use to reduce their energy costs year-round.
We’re also giving our customers more control over their energy usage through personalised and actionable insights. Examples of this include Energy Coach – our personalised tool that helps customers save on their home energy bills – and AGL Voice Assistant, which was a first in Australia and continues to evolve by offering customers easy, hands-free access to their account using Amazon or Google enabled devices.
We’ve been working on smarter, more innovative ways to support the transition to a low-carbon future – including our Virtual Power Plant, Electric Vehicle Plan and Subscription Service and Carbon Neutral program, which is available on all AGL electricity and gas plans.
And with the launch of AGL Internet and AGL Mobile, we’re well on our way to becoming Australia’s leading multi-product energy provider – creating new products and services as energy and data converge.
An industry leading approach
It’s great to see AGL’s approach to innovation recognised for delivering value for customers – from being named on The Australian Financial Review and Inventium’s list of Most Innovative Companies in 2020 to picking up two Canstar Blue Innovation Excellence Awards and our Emerging Products team being awarded Finder’s Most Innovative Team of the Year.
We know we can’t stand still and it’s essential that we continue to evolve – just as we’ve done for the past 180 years. There will always be more to do when it comes to meeting the needs of our customers and the community – which is why we’ll keep listening, responding and innovating.