Smart and sustainable
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Smart and sustainable

Energy efficiency and smart living in a modern build

Nestled in a lush avocado orchard in New Zealand’s rural Bay of Plenty is a modern and energy efficient home with clever technology at its heart

Owners Alistair and Carol left the busy inner-city life in the tranquil spot with its views of Mount Maunganui and the ocean.

They combined their goal of a sustainable home with careful electric home design to create an environment that works perfectly for their lifestyle.

katikati lounge -and dining

A sustainable build

The couple wanted their home to be as sustainable as possible – from the raised slab filled with 250kg of locally recycled plastic that creates a thermal break and regulates their home’s temperature, to the smart hot water system and pre-wiring for solar panels and EV charging that creates energy efficiencies.

“Having a sustainable floor base that would retain the warmth for us was really important so that we didn’t have to run electricity or burn wood,” says Carol. They also installed double glazing with argon gas to help maintain the inside temperature.

future ready kitchen

A future-ready home

“Electric home design actually future-proofs you within your new build,” says Alistair. 

“The more preparation you do beforehand allows you to enjoy things later. We spent a lot of time thinking about little things that could make a big impact later on.” 

He also recommends asking your electrician for ideas as you go. “It’s really important to understand what your electrician can add to your project. They are all about value-adding.”

lounge and dining room
bedroom and bathroom
lounge and dining room
bedroom and bathroom

Safe and secure

Their switchboard uses products designed to enhance electrical safety and reliability, including AFDDs for protection against electrical fires, Under Voltage Protection, surge protection and UPS (uninterrupted power supply) for 30 minutes.

“With the complexity of energy in a new home nowadays, and the fire brigade a long way away, I wanted all risk mitigated,” says Alistair.

Browse safety solutions

A beautiful home

Sensor lighting in the bathrooms and additional LED strip lighting above the induction hob in the kitchen are little touches that make a big difference to how they live in their home day-to-day, while subtle downlights highlight curated artworks and ornaments add to the overall enjoyment of their home. Iconic Outdoor provides practical and stylish weatherproof switchgear solutions outside.

Clipsal Saturn Series switches and power points are an elegant finishing touch and add functionality with USB charging ports, dimmers and button labels for easy identification of appliances and lighting areas. “We wanted elegance because of the home’s simple lines,” explains Alistair. “The Clipsal Saturn Series is just a beautiful range.”

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man using wiser by se app

A smart and energy efficient home

The couple’s plans for a smart home meant finding a system that could bring all the individual parts together in one easy-to-use application. Clipsal Wiser Smart Home links all the electrical elements in one easy-to-use app and gives the couple touch-screen control of their home’s lighting, heating and security so they can see exactly what is on and when.

“If we’re out and coming home and it’s a cool evening, I can actually crank up the heat in the bathroom from my phone, so there’s a warm bathroom to shower in,” says Alistair.

Even the entrance to their house can be operated via Wiser – an electric maglock secures the large reflective glass front door, which they can see via the security cameras on their phone screen and then unlock remotely.

Electric Home Design brings energy efficiency and smart living to this modern home

For Carol and Alistair, the time spent on planning and design was well worth it for the energy efficient and technologically intuitive home they have created.

“It’s warm, it’s inviting, it looks beautiful. We just love it here, we struggle to leave.”

Hear it from them.

A joyful young family in their modern kitchen that’s fitted with Clipsal Iconic electrical products

Electric Home Design

Create a new world of possibilities for your home renovation or new house build, powered by electric. Unlock exciting home ideas for your kitchen, bathroom and more.

Modern kitchen featuring dark cabinetry, gold accents, with a large island with geometric patterns.

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