Flexibility Already Works. So Why Isn’t Everyone Using It?

For years, the conversation around flexibility has focused on the future. Future markets. Future incentives. Future technology.

But according to Flex-Able General Manager Josh Benjamin, flexibility is not a future concept at all. The technology already exists. The savings already exist. The benefits of the electricity system already exist.

The challenge is connecting those benefits to the people creating them.

“We all know as an industry that the technology is out there, but we just haven’t broadly been able to coordinate in a way that’s coherent and actually deploy the product at scale.”

That challenge sits at the heart of Flex-Able’s work.

Turning everyday energy assets into flexible resources

FlexAble helps businesses shift their electricity use without affecting their day-to-day operations. Rather than installing large new infrastructure, FlexAble often works with existing equipment.

Commercial hot water systems. Refrigeration. Irrigation systems. Existing energy assets that can be controlled more intelligently.

As Josh explains: “It’s flexibility at a site level. If you get it right, it can be really, really powerful… you’re using something that’s an existing business asset.”

The goal is simple. Shift energy use away from peak periods, reduce customer costs, and help create a more efficient electricity system.

While flexibility is often discussed in highly technical terms, Josh sees it as a practical business tool that delivers value today.

Flexibility already delivers value

One of the biggest misconceptions about flexibility is that it remains an unproven concept. For FlexAble, not only is the technology proven, but it is already delivering measurable savings for customers.

“Some of the best results we’ve seen have been paybacks around the one-year mark. The system’s just over $5,000 installed, and they’re seeing that $4000 to $5,000 range coming back within a year.”

That type of return changes the conversation.

Instead of discussing flexibility as a future opportunity, businesses can begin viewing it as an operational investment with tangible financial outcomes.

For customers, the benefits can include:

• Lower electricity costs
• Better management of peak demand charges
• Improved energy efficiency
• Reduced pressure on the wider electricity system

The challenge is not proving that flexibility works. The challenge is helping more organisations understand the value already available.

Why flexible demand needs to be treated as a first-class asset

Despite the value flexibility creates, Josh believes flexible demand is still not being recognised in the same way as traditional electricity infrastructure.

Businesses are already helping reduce demand during peak periods. Networks are already benefiting. The wider electricity system is already benefiting.

But those contributions are often difficult to see and even harder to value. As Josh explains: “There’s no official recognition that we’re reducing electricity in the peak periods.”

Josh’s view is increasingly being reflected in national energy planning. EECA’s 2026 report The Full Potential of Flexible Electricity Use in New Zealand, found that flexible electricity use could reduce peak demand, lower system costs, defer network investment, and help integrate more renewable generation across the country.

The report estimates that New Zealand could unlock hundreds of megawatts of flexible demand from technologies already being deployed today, including electric vehicles, hot water systems, commercial refrigeration, irrigation and industrial processes.

Yet much of that value remains untapped because flexible demand is often invisible, difficult to measure, and not consistently rewarded by existing market structures.

That matters because flexibility can reduce the need for expensive network upgrades, improve utilisation of existing infrastructure, and create a more efficient electricity system overall.

For Josh, flexible demand should not be viewed as a side benefit. It should be treated as an asset in its own right.

Visibility changes the conversation

If flexibility is going to become a meaningful part of New Zealand’s electricity future, it first needs to become visible. That is one of the reasons FlexAble integrated with FlexViz.

FlexViz provides a platform where flexibility suppliers can make their available flexibility visible to networks, Transpower and other market participants.

For Josh, visibility is not just about reporting. It is about helping the market understand what flexibility already exists.

“Having that broader visibility and saying, hey, we’re here, this technology is here, we can do all of this stuff. Here it is, it’s time to use it.”

Visibility helps move flexibility from theory to reality. Once flexibility can be seen, measured and understood, it becomes easier for market participants to assess how it might be used and where value can be created.

For a deeper look at how FlexViz works, see our FlexViz page.

Why FlexAble integrated with FlexViz

FlexAble’s decision to connect to FlexViz was driven by a simple goal. Visibility.

As Josh explains: “We were compelled to connect in so that we could be visible.”

FlexAble already had flexibility resources available. The challenge was creating a practical way for those resources to be seen by organisations that may want to access them in the future.

FlexViz provided that pathway.

By connecting through a common platform, flexibility suppliers can make their resources visible without needing to build individual relationships and integrations across every potential market participant.

This mirrors one of the key themes explored in our Evnex FlexViz case study. Flexibility already has value, but visibility helps the wider market understand where it exists, how much is available, and how it could be used within future market mechanisms.

The market challenge isn’t technology

One of the most interesting themes from our discussion with Josh was his view that technology is no longer the main barrier. The bigger challenge is creating incentives that encourage participation.

“Getting the price signals to the consumer or the businesses that wish to participate is the key because it’s what drives behavioural change.”

For years, the flexibility sector has focused heavily on technology, protocols and market mechanisms. Those things matter.

But Josh believes flexibility will only scale when consumers and businesses can clearly see what is in it for them. The organisations creating flexibility need a reason to participate.

The value needs to be visible. And the rewards need to be meaningful.

This is one of the reasons discussions around market design, pricing signals and flexibility products remain so important.

For a broader discussion on how New Zealand’s flexibility market is evolving, see our articles on Flexibility 2.0 and the Demand Flexibility Maturity Scale.

A future where flexibility is easy

Josh’s vision for flexibility is surprisingly simple. It should be easy.

“You should be able as a consumer to walk into a shop and pick up one of our boxes and get your electrician to put it in or plug it in if it’s a simple thing and save money.”

Today, participating in flexibility often requires a deep understanding of energy systems, technology providers and market structures. Josh believes that complexity needs to disappear.

“It shouldn’t be that hard, it shouldn’t be complex, and we should get a good deal.”

In the future, consumers and businesses should be able to access flexibility products just as easily as they access other energy technologies.

The value should be clear. The savings should be clear. And the barriers to participation should be minimal.

The opportunity ahead

Josh’s view is that New Zealand does not need to wait for a future technology breakthrough before flexibility becomes mainstream.

The technology already exists. The value already exists. The opportunity already exists.

What is needed now are stronger consumer pricing incentives, clearer market signals, and simpler pathways for businesses and households to participate.

Flexibility has already proven it can help lower costs, improve network efficiency and support a more resilient electricity system.

The next challenge is making sure more people can access those benefits.

Making flexibility visible is a key building block to unlocking this. Get in touch with Cortexo to learn more about FlexViz.

The Author

Terry Paddy
Managing Director, Cortexo Limited