Home Automation & Energy Management in Geelong & Surrounds
Geelong and surrounds
The Final Step
Your Solar and
Battery Are Only
as Smart as
Your Home
You've got solar generating free electricity during the day. You've got a battery storing the excess. But if your dishwasher, washing machine, dryer, and air conditioner are all running at 6pm when you get home from work, they're pulling from the battery or the grid instead of using the free solar that was available all day.
Home automation fixes this. We set up your high energy appliances to run during the day, even when you're not home, using solar electricity that would otherwise go to waste. The result is more of your solar gets used, your battery stays fuller for evening and VPP trading, and your energy costs drop further.
The Full Picture
Each Service Builds on the Last
Home automation isn't something we bolt on after the fact. It's the final piece in a system that starts with solar and gets progressively smarter. Solar generates. A battery stores. A VPP trades. A heat pump heats your water. Hydronic panels condition your home. And automation ties it all together so every part works in concert.
You don't have to do everything at once. Many of our clients start with solar and a battery, then add a heat pump a year later, then eventually set up automation. The system is designed to grow with you, and each addition makes the whole thing work better.
How It Works
Solar to Smart Savings
Solar generates excess
Your panels produce more electricity than your home needs during the day. Instead of exporting it for almost nothing, automation puts it to work.
Smart switches detect surplus
Smart switches and relays monitor your solar production and battery level in real time, identifying when free energy is available.
Appliances run automatically
High-energy loads like hot water, washing machines, and air conditioning start automatically during peak solar hours, even when you're not home.
Battery stays full
Because appliances ran on solar during the day, your battery is at 95% by 5pm instead of 70%. More energy available for evening use and VPP trading.
General and Integrated
Two Types of Automation: We Offer Both
General Home Automation
Smart technology that makes your home more comfortable, convenient, and secure, with or without a solar system. This includes smart lighting, voice control, automated blinds, sensors, security systems, and climate scheduling.
Integrated Energy Automation
Automation that works directly with your solar, battery, and heat pump to maximise energy savings and self-consumption. This is where the real value is.
- Surplus PV: Automatically turn on high-energy appliances like hot water, pool pumps, and air conditioning when your panels are producing more electricity than your home needs. Instead of exporting excess solar for next to nothing, it gets used on the spot.
- Ready-by period: Schedule appliances to complete their cycle during peak solar hours. For example, your washing machine starts mid-morning and finishes before you get home, all powered by free solar.
- Battery level control: Run or pause devices based on your battery's charge percentage. If the battery is above 90%, your home runs non-essential loads. If it drops below a set threshold, those loads pause to preserve energy for evening use or VPP trading.
Automation Levels
Start Simple, Add Over Time
EssentialStart with the two biggest energy consumers: hot water scheduling and pool pump automation. The simplest setup with immediate impact on solar utilisation. Best for: Getting started | Most Popular StandardAdd air conditioning and laundry automation. Your home maintains temperature during the day on solar and appliances run before you get home. Best for: Most households | CompleteFull home energy management including EV charging, dishwasher scheduling, and zone-by-zone climate control. Maximum solar utilisation and VPP earnings. Best for: Full optimisation | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feature | Essential | Standard | Complete |
| Appliances Controlled | Hot water + pool pump | + AC + washing machine | + EV charging + dishwasher + zones |
| Automation Devices Needed | 2-3 devices | 4-6 devices | 8+ devices |
| Solar Utilisation Improvement | 15-25% more self-consumption | 30-45% more | 50%+ more |
| Battery Level at 5pm | ~80% (vs 70% without) | ~90% | ~95% |
| VPP Earning Impact | Moderate improvement | Significant improvement | Maximum earnings potential |
| Setup Complexity | Simple (half day) | Standard (1 day) | Comprehensive (1-2 days) |
Essential
Start with the two biggest energy consumers: hot water scheduling and pool pump automation. The simplest setup with immediate impact on solar utilisation.
Best for: Getting started- Appliances Controlled
- Hot water + pool pump
- Automation Devices Needed
- 2-3 devices
- Solar Utilisation Improvement
- 15-25% more self-consumption
- Battery Level at 5pm
- ~80% (vs 70% without)
- VPP Earning Impact
- Moderate improvement
- Setup Complexity
- Simple (half day)
Standard
Add air conditioning and laundry automation. Your home maintains temperature during the day on solar and appliances run before you get home.
Best for: Most households- Appliances Controlled
- + AC + washing machine
- Automation Devices Needed
- 4-6 devices
- Solar Utilisation Improvement
- 30-45% more
- Battery Level at 5pm
- ~90%
- VPP Earning Impact
- Significant improvement
- Setup Complexity
- Standard (1 day)
Complete
Full home energy management including EV charging, dishwasher scheduling, and zone-by-zone climate control. Maximum solar utilisation and VPP earnings.
Best for: Full optimisation- Appliances Controlled
- + EV charging + dishwasher + zones
- Automation Devices Needed
- 8+ devices
- Solar Utilisation Improvement
- 50%+ more
- Battery Level at 5pm
- ~95%
- VPP Earning Impact
- Maximum earnings potential
- Setup Complexity
- Comprehensive (1-2 days)
Back-to-Base Monitoring
We'll Know Something Is Wrong Before You Do
Every system we install is connected to our back-to-base monitoring portal. Our team checks every system each morning. If something drops out, generates less than expected, or throws a fault, we see it, often before the homeowner even notices.
We've had cases where a system was intermittently disconnecting due to a Wi-Fi issue. We picked it up in our morning check, texted the client, went around and fixed it in five minutes. They had no idea anything was wrong. That's the level of ongoing support we provide.
It's not just install and walk away. We set up monitoring on the day of installation, walk you through the app, and keep an eye on your system from that point forward.
Critical fault response. If our monitoring detects a serious issue with your system, we arrange for one of our A-grade electricians to be on site within 48 business hours. We haven't encountered a critical fault yet, but the commitment is there.
What We Automate
The Appliances That Make the Biggest Difference
We start by looking at where you can get the biggest benefit for your money. Not every appliance needs to be smart. We focus on the ones that actually move the needle on your energy bill.
Air conditioning
Condition the house during the day on solar. By 5pm it's already at temperature. Run on a temperature sensor, not a timer.
Hot water
Heat pump scheduled to run when solar excess is available. Heats your water for free during the day instead of drawing from the grid at night.
Washing machines and dryers
Scheduled to finish before you get home, running entirely on solar. Set a deadline and the system finds the cheapest window.
EV charging
Your car charges when the battery is above a set level or when excess solar is available, not at peak rates when you plug in at night.
Dishwashers
Set to run during a solar window with a "ready by" deadline. The system works out the cheapest time to start.
Pool pumps
Runs only when there's surplus solar generation. If solar dips, the battery temporarily supplements to keep it running.
The Hardware
Smart Switches, Not Smart Gimmicks
We use home automation products that are RS485 and Modbus compatible. These are compact smart switches, smart power points, relays, and infrared drivers that sit behind your existing switches and outlets. They don't change the look of your home.
During the consultation, we work out what's already smart (some modern appliances connect natively) and what needs a device to become controllable. Then we prioritise based on where the biggest energy savings are, not on adding the most devices.
Everything connects to your energy management system so it works automatically. You can also control things manually from an app if you want to.
Works With Your VPP
Automation Makes Your Battery Worth More
Here's why home automation and a Virtual Power Plant work so well together. If your appliances run on solar during the day, your battery stays fuller. A fuller battery means more energy available for VPP trading during evening price spikes.
Without automation, your battery might be at 70% by 5pm because the air conditioner and hot water system were drawing from it. With automation, those loads ran on solar during the day and your battery is still at 95%. When prices spike at 6pm, you've got 25% more energy to sell at wholesale rates.
It's a compounding effect. Each part of the system makes the other parts more valuable.
Battery partially drained by daytime appliances. Less available for VPP.
Appliances ran on solar. Battery nearly full. Maximum VPP earnings.
The Full Picture
Each Service Builds on the Last
Home automation isn't something we bolt on after the fact. It's the final piece in a system that starts with solar and gets progressively smarter. Solar generates. A battery stores. A VPP trades. A heat pump heats your water. Hydronic panels condition your home. And automation ties it all together so every part works in concert.
You don't have to do everything at once. Many of our clients start with solar and a battery, then add a heat pump a year later, then eventually set up automation. The system is designed to grow with you, and each addition makes the whole thing work better.
