FranklinWH and Origin Energy Partner to Power Up Australian Homes

SYDNEY, NSW – February 10, 2026 – In a significant move for Australia's burgeoning renewable energy landscape, home energy solutions provider FranklinWH has partnered with energy giant Origin Energy. The collaboration, announced today, integrates FranklinWH's residential battery systems into Origin's Virtual Power Plant (VPP) program, marking the company's first foray into the Australian VPP market and offering homeowners a new avenue to maximize their energy investments.

This partnership allows thousands of Australian households equipped with FranklinWH batteries to join the Origin Loop VPP, transforming their individual home storage units into a coordinated network. By doing so, they can actively support grid stability during peak demand and, in return, earn financial rewards, all while retaining full control and warranty on their systems. The alliance signifies a critical step in the maturation of Australia's distributed energy resources, combining advanced hardware with a large-scale retail network to accelerate the transition to a smarter, more flexible grid.

Powering Profits and Consumer Choice

At the heart of the new partnership is a direct financial incentive for homeowners. FranklinWH customers can now choose from several of Origin's subscription-free battery plans, designed to cater to different levels of engagement and financial goals. This move directly addresses the growing desire among solar and battery owners to not only reduce their electricity bills but also generate active income from their hardware.

Under the agreement, customers can access three distinct plans:

• Battery Lite: An entry-level option offering up to $400 in value during the first year. This includes a payment of $1 per kilowatt-hour (kWh) for energy exported to the grid during VPP events, capped at 200 kWh annually. It's a straightforward way for users to get a taste of VPP benefits without changing their primary electricity plan.
• Battery Maximiser: This is an integrated electricity plan where the VPP automates the battery's charging and exporting cycles to maximize earnings. It boasts uncapped exports and a premium peak feed-in tariff (FiT) of 22c/kWh, appealing to users who want a 'set and forget' system that optimizes returns.
• Battery Starter: For those wary of automation, this plan offers a higher-than-standard peak FiT of 18c/kWh with uncapped exports but keeps the user in manual control, with no VPP participation.

"Working with Origin was a natural step for FranklinWH," said Steve Ruskin, GM of FranklinWH Australia, in a statement. "Origin is one of Australia's most trusted and respected energy brands, and together we're giving our customers a new way to get even more value from their FranklinWH System."

Chris Zondanos, Origin's General Manager of Electrify and New Connections, echoed the sentiment, stating, "This collaboration reflects our commitment to offering customers choice and delivering smarter energy offerings for households."

A New Standard for Battery Confidence

Perhaps the most groundbreaking aspect of the announcement is FranklinWH's firm stance on its product warranty. A common point of hesitation for consumers considering VPPs has been the fear that the increased cycling of their battery could lead to faster degradation and potentially void their warranty. This concern has been a significant barrier to VPP adoption.

FranklinWH is tackling this issue head-on by guaranteeing that its full 12-year or 43-megawatt-hour (MWh) throughput warranty remains completely intact, regardless of whether the customer participates in the Origin Loop VPP. This 12-year term is already longer than the 10-year standard offered by many competitors, and the explicit inclusion of VPP activity under this protection sets a new benchmark for the industry.

"We believe transparency matters," Ruskin emphasized. "Our customers deserve peace of mind. That's why FranklinWH offers the same full warranty protection regardless of how you choose to use your battery. The choice is always yours."

This commitment is a strategic move to build consumer trust in both the FranklinWH brand and the VPP concept itself. By removing the financial risk associated with potential battery wear, the company is not only providing a competitive advantage but also helping to mature the entire residential energy storage market. It challenges other manufacturers and VPP operators to provide similar assurances, potentially making VPP-inclusive warranties the expected standard rather than a notable exception.

Tapping into a Booming Market

The FranklinWH-Origin partnership does not exist in a vacuum. It arrives as Australia's residential VPP market is experiencing explosive growth. Market analysts project the sector to expand at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of over 23%, with some forecasts suggesting the market could be worth over $6 billion by 2031. This surge is fueled by a confluence of factors: rising electricity prices, falling battery costs, and a strong consumer appetite for sustainable technology.

In 2024 alone, a record 72,500 residential battery systems were installed across the country, a 27% increase from the previous year. Industry experts at SunWiz project that this number could surpass 100,000 in 2025 and reach 200,000 installations per year by 2026. This growth is set to be further supercharged by the federal government's $2.3 billion "Cheaper Home Batteries Program," slated to launch in mid-2025, which is expected to offer significant upfront discounts.

FranklinWH, which entered the Australian market in 2023, is positioning itself to capture a piece of this rapidly expanding pie. While facing stiff competition from established players like Tesla, Sungrow, and the current market leader Sigenergy, its focus on whole-home backup, AC-coupled systems for easy retrofitting, and now, a market-leading warranty policy, are key differentiators. This partnership with a retail giant like Origin provides immediate access to a massive customer base and elevates FranklinWH's brand recognition in a crowded field.

Building the Decentralized Grid of the Future

Beyond the immediate benefits for consumers and the two companies, this alliance represents another building block in the construction of Australia's future energy system. As the nation shifts away from centralized fossil-fuel power stations, it is increasingly relying on a vast network of distributed energy resources (DERs)—such as rooftop solar and home batteries—to maintain a stable and reliable supply of electricity.

Virtual Power Plants are the key to orchestrating these countless small-scale assets. By networking them together, VPP operators like Origin can aggregate their collective capacity and dispatch it precisely when and where it's needed, helping to smooth out the intermittency of renewable sources and reduce strain on the physical grid infrastructure. The Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO) has been actively conducting VPP demonstrations and developing frameworks to safely and effectively integrate this capacity into the National Electricity Market (NEM).

Partnerships between technology providers like FranklinWH and energy retailers like Origin are crucial for scaling this model. They bridge the gap between the consumer with a battery in their garage and the complex needs of the national grid. By making participation simple, financially attractive, and risk-free from a warranty perspective, they are accelerating the creation of a decentralized, resilient, and decarbonized energy system, one household at a time.