PowerNet Seeks New Invercargill Family for Innovative Smart Energy Home Project
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PowerNet is looking for a new family to live in the company’s smart energy home whereby they will have use of an electric vehicle.
The Waru family have lived in the house for a year and have loved the opportunity and also enjoyed taking advantage of the house’s mod-cons and using the electric car. It’s been fun but also a great opportunity to save money, Cam Waru says.
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“It’s been fantastic for us to experience some of the smart technologies the house is equipped with and to have use of the electric vehicle. We’ve really enjoyed working with PowerNet to promote the house and the advantages of its technologies. We’ve been able to save money on living costs with the cost- saving electricity devices installed in the house, and by using the electric vehicle,” says Cam.
The house is a standard two-bedroom Invercargill home kitted out with smart energy technologies. These include solar panels, battery storage, energy smart appliances and hot water powered by a heat pump exchanger. Tenants will also have use of an electric car and a vehicle charging station installed at the address.
During the year-long tenancy, PowerNet will follow the impact that the home’s smart technologies have on the family’s energy use.
“We’re again keen to let the house to a family that’s enthusiastic about new technologies that impact on energy use—that’s probably the most important thing,” says PowerNet Engineer, Dyson Gentle.
“We’ll be gathering data on energy use and gain insights into savings opportunities. We want to understand how a family adapts to these emerging technologies and how their energy use changes over time,” says Dyson.
The project is also about understanding more about what works best in Southland’s climate.
For the tenants, it will be an opportunity to experience the technologies and to contribute their own insights.
“They will save on electricity costs, due to solar generation, storage and efficient heating, as well as use of the electric vehicle saving on commuting costs. The house’s electricity pricing plan also aims to incentivise the tenants to be smart about their energy use.”
The tenants will be required to participate in some promotional activities.
The project is part of PowerNet’s drive to leverage emerging technologies and incorporate these to create better business efficiencies. The company already operates a fleet of electric vehicles.
Interested in tenanting the smart energy house? Visit PowerNet’s website to learn more about the project and to download an application form.*
*Participation in the project is subject to terms and conditions. A copy of the terms and conditions can be found at the link below.
Follow the Smart Energy Home project at facebook.com/PowerNetNZ and on PowerNet’s website