Battery powers homes

Powerwall part of Hamlan house deal

GEELONG homebuyers could go off the grid in blackouts after a local volume builder’s region-first deal to install the Tesla Powerwall standard in new homes. Hamlan Homes announced the partnership with CSR Bradford to install the solar and battery system into its houses, which will allow residents to use a mix of free and low-cost energy, and store it until it is needed.

The Tesla Powerwall 2 can be charged from solar panels during daylight and use off-peak electricity from the grid at night.

The system can be managed using a smartphone app and allow residents to keep power running.

Powerwall 2 is designed to supply 13kWh of stored energy.

It can provide electricity for between five and 13 hours, with a maximum output of 5000kWh.

Hamlan general manager Andrew Carroll said solar and battery technology was a perfect stepping stone to protecting the Geelong and Surf Coast landscape. “Powerwall

offers our clients a working solar system that will charge the battery and provide electricity to power your home day or night,” Mr Carroll said.

The Bradford Solar ChargePack is expected to save about $2300 a year on energy bills.

Under the partnership, Hamlan estimates it would install the rechargeable lithium-ion battery into 150 homes by the end of 2018.

CSR Bradford business manager Ashleigh O’Brien said energy reliability and prices were centre stage as Australians searched for solutions to rising power prices and unreliable sources of energy.

“There is going to be a significant amount of pressure on the grid in coming months,” Mr O’Brien said.

Geelong Sustainability Group president Vicki Perrett said it was a step towards energy efficiency.

“A move by a volume builder is wonderful news,” Ms Perrett said. “To put them into the packages is a very good move,” she said. “There is an enormous appetite for energy

independence.”