The Problem We're Solving
Every evening between 5pm and 8pm, Australia's energy grid undergoes a troubling transformation. As the sun sets and rooftop solar generation drops, coal generation surges by more than 100%. This represents the dirtiest, most expensive electricity period of the day.
Meanwhile, feed-in tariffs have collapsed. Victoria's regulated minimum dropped 99% (from 3.3 cents to 0.04 cents per kWh) as of July 2025. Households now receive just 1-2 cents for exported solar while paying 26-35 cents during evening peak. The arbitrage opportunity is clear: store midday sunshine for evening use.
Yet the path to getting a battery is unnecessarily confusing. The market is plagued by a fundamental trust problem: lead generation platforms profit from volume, not outcomes. Consumers are "sold" to multiple installers who compete on price, not quality. Nobody takes responsibility for long-term performance.
Our Solution
BatteryIQ represents a fundamentally different approach to the battery market. Rather than selling leads and walking away, we built a platform that takes responsibility for long-term outcomes. Customers stay members with ongoing access to the latest market data and retail plan comparisons, helping them continue to optimise their energy setup long after the initial installation.
The platform operates across two channels: direct-to-consumer through an intelligent calculator and recommendation engine, and strategic partnerships with installers, energy retailers, and volume builders who benefit from our data-driven approach.
Unlike competitors limited to three time-of-use periods, our system supports unlimited tariff structures, EV charging optimisation, VPP program detection, and time-varying feed-in tariffs. Most critically, we approach energy decisions holistically. The calculator doesn't just recommend a battery; it analyses current usage patterns, identifies optimal energy plans, factors in federal and state rebates, models EV integration, and provides ongoing optimisation recommendations.
Live battery performance dashboard with real-time solar and grid data
Comprehensive resources and guides for informed energy decisions
What We Built in 3 Months
- Production-ready full-stack application (Next.js 15, React 19, TypeScript, PostgreSQL)
- 26 production database models with comprehensive relational schema
- Proprietary AI bill analysis, first-to-market in Australian energy sector
- Consumer Data Right API integration with 16,000+ energy plans
- Real-time AEMO grid data pipeline polling every 5 minutes
- Complete marketing engine with email automation and analytics
- Regulatory compliance frameworks for CDR and energy data
- Research platforms training recommendation algorithms
Technical Infrastructure
The platform represents production-grade engineering with comprehensive data integration:
Platform Architecture
Core Stack
- Next.js 15 with React 19
- TypeScript for type safety
- PostgreSQL (26 models)
- Redis caching layer
AI & Analysis
- Proprietary bill extraction schema
- Multi-model AI development
- VPP detection algorithms
- Carbon-efficient prompts
Data Integrations
- AEMO real-time grid API
- Consumer Data Right API
- OpenElectricity fuel mix
- Open-Meteo solar forecasting
Marketing & Growth
- Loops email automation
- Google Analytics integration
- Lead scoring pipeline
- SEO infrastructure
What Made It Work
Human-Centred Problem Definition: Rather than starting with technology, we invested time understanding the genuine tensions facing Australian households: confusion, distrust of sales processes, complexity of energy decisions, and desire for expert guidance without pressure. This led to the revenue-sharing model that aligns all incentives.
Founder Domain Expertise: Five years of personal battery ownership, including configuration mistakes and optimisation learnings, provided authentic understanding of customer pain points that no amount of market research could replicate.
Full-Stack Venture Building: This wasn't strategy with a handoff. We built everything: technical infrastructure, AI systems, data integrations, compliance frameworks, marketing engine, research platforms, and partnership foundations. Every competency required to launch a technology business.
Competitive Intelligence: Systematic analysis of competitor tactics, documenting 12 distinct manipulation patterns from 56+ competitor advertisements, enabled differentiated positioning that stands apart from industry norms.
Mission-Driven Differentiation: In a market of transactional lead generators, BatteryIQ's authentic commitment to reducing coal reliance creates emotional resonance that drives organic engagement and trust.
The Middle Z Difference
BatteryIQ exemplifies Middle Z's approach to venture building: combining deep analytical rigour with human-centred design, maintaining quality under pressure, and treating stakeholder relationships as essential to sustainable outcomes.
We don't just consult on strategy. We build and operate ventures that demonstrate our methodology. BatteryIQ shows what's possible when strategic thinking meets execution discipline: a production-ready platform addressing a multi-million household market, built in three months, with the technical infrastructure, AI systems, regulatory compliance, partnership relationships, and marketing engine required for sustainable growth.