How David cut his power bills  

David, a Melbourne father of two teenagers, was becoming increasingly frustrated with his household gas bills. It was early 2025, and with most of his Elsternwick family home already electrified, he wanted to take the next step: to not just reduce his bills, but to embrace the future of residential energy consumption. 

Like most Australian households, David and his family of four faced fluctuating energy prices and limited control over costs. “I was really trying to electrify because I almost cried every time we received our gas bills,” he says. He wanted a smarter, more efficient way to manage their energy use. 

David was worried about the upfront costs, but after doing the research he knew a battery and solar would be a good investment.  

In the drivers seat

In March, David installed a Sungrow home battery and rooftop solar system. Next, energy provider Flow Power delivered its free Flow Home Mini tech to David’s door, with step-by-step onboarding and guidance on setting up his account and using the free Flow Power app to track his usage in real time. 

Wholesale electricity prices change throughout the day due to supply and demand. David set his battery to charge during the cheapest periods of the day, typically around 12-2pm and 3-4am. It powered his home during expensive peak periods such as 8am, helping him to avoid buying high-priced electricity altogether. 

The family already knew to use their appliances in the middle of the day, when renewable energy is abundant in the system and prices are low. With Flow Power’s Price Efficiency Adjustment (PEA), and with the help of personalised tips and insights on the app, their bill now reflects how effectively they use electricity when prices are low. And with the battery storing excess solar during the day, David can sell power back to the grid when prices spike, flagged by Flow Home’s alerts and notifications. 

Timing is everything

With no change to their lifestyle, the family is now reaping the rewards. “We buy much less electricity, but use the same amount,” says David. “Rather than shifting our use, I can shift the price.” In one recent period when the family used as much electricity as usual but was able to sell electricity back to the grid he received not a bill but a $92.84 credit. 

He describes the system as “set and forget”. Once it is programmed to run and store energy at certain times of day, it runs on autopilot. But when he does dip into the data or responds to Flow Power’s alerts, it “becomes like a bit of a game”. 

“I got the battery installed late summer. From late summer through early autumn, I had around 20 days where I didn’t draw electricity from the grid, and some where I even sold back to the grid from excess solar” 

He’s even set up his 80-year-old mother-in-law with a battery and Flow Power, showing her how simple it is to make small changes for meaningful savings. 

“Just change stuff that’s easy,” he advises. “If you can move your washing and tumble drying to the middle of the day, do that. With air conditioning, be comfortable, you know? But just do what you can, and you’ll get benefits from it.”