Calvin lives in Stanmore, New South Wales, and works as a management consultant specialising in marketing transformation. He shares a home with his husband in a fully electrified, mostly automated house—and he’s made energy management a passion project that’s paying off.
A future-ready energy setup
Calvin’s home is powered by a 13.97kW SolarEdge solar system, a 10kW inverter, and two 9.7kWh batteries. He started with one battery and after seeing the results he could get with Amber, quickly - three weeks later - added a second one. The system was installed by Soltek, a local installer Calvin trusts and recommends. Over time, Calvin added smart home automations, an EV, and a heat pump hot water system. Eventually, Calvin ditched gas altogether.
“We’ve removed any other energy sources in our daily lives. We moved to an EV, got rid of gas. That transformation was key.”
Why Calvin switched to Amber
After struggling with falling feed-in tariffs and rising bills on his previous plan, Calvin took a chance on Amber based on a trusted recommendation from his installer, Damien. Once he added batteries, it clicked.
“We decided to switch to Amber because we were recommended by Damien. We realised we could offload a lot of our energy at night and make a substantial revenue out of it.”
That decision has paid off. Since joining Amber in May 2023, Calvin hasn’t had to pay a single power bill.
“From day one we have never had a positive bill. Last year we cashed out over $3,000. We're sitting at about $2,100 now. In two years, we’ve saved approximately $12,000 - around 30% of our investment.”
Amber makes it easy - or advanced, if you want
Calvin loves Amber’s flexibility: it works out-of-the-box or can be deeply customised.
“You choose your journey. We’ve chosen the out-of-the-box system and it’s more than sufficient. Amber gives you the power to decide. It’s empowering.”
Even though he enjoys tracking his performance and tweaking his usage behaviour to maximise his results, he no longer feels the need to micro-manage his setup.
“SmartShift has learned our household behaviour. It just works.”
A new energy mindset
The Amber experience has, however, changed how Calvin and his household use energy. He times cooking, laundry, and EV charging around solar production and market rates.
“We cook when the sun is shining, roast in the afternoon, and reheat later. If you plan right, you reduce cost and maximise your exports even more.”
While many Amber battery customers say they’re more than happy with their results without making major lifestyle changes, Calvin’s advice to others is similar to what he tells his business clients: transformation is the key to getting the most out of the system.
“If you’re not willing to change how you live, you won’t get the full benefits. But if you are, it’s a game-changer.”
Amber’s app helps him make those choices with real-time pricing data, forecasts, and daily performance summaries.
“Every day you see how much you made, how you performed. It’s gamified and it’s fun!”
He’s also part of the Amber community online, where sharing earnings has become a friendly competition.
“There’s a Facebook group. It became a bragging right. Some people earn $1,000 in a session. You just go, how is that possible?!”
The big payoff and what’s next
Amber helped Calvin pay off 30% of his total system investment in just two years. His goal is to break even in six years — and he’s tracking every dollar. For Calvin, he’s willing to take the next step to adjust his energy usage to maximise his battery revenue.
“We’ve got enough data that shows the savings are real. But you must transform the way you live to see the maximum benefit.”
Looking ahead, Calvin is waiting on bi-directional EV charging. He sees vehicle-to-grid as the next frontier.
“The biggest battery you have isn’t in your home - it’s your car. That’s the future.”
In Calvin’s words
On how Amber stacks up:
“It’s not complicated — unless you want it to be. Amber gives you 80% of the benefits with none of the hassle. That’s better than any retailer out there.”
How he describes Amber:
“Innovative. Empowering. Transparent.”
