Unreal Engine Demo

Designed by SUHO Studio and featuring the first Australian pilot of ABB-free@home, ABB has demonstrated how to optimise connectivity and energy efficiency with a 10-star rated home in South Australia.

Implementing IoT technology and next generation SUHO 10-star suburban home features a TerraAC wallbox electric vehicle charger from ABB, working in tandem with a FIMER solar inverter and solar energy storage system.

The building was designed to be accessible and to consider interaction between the house and its inhabitants, so it could be automated to fit the requirements of any of family.

The ABB-free@home® system is so intelligent that it provides direct feedback on the energy consumption of the house, and it’s programmed so that many of the key features that make the house comfortable and energy efficient, are automated.

“Besides safety and comfort, our building automation solutions are very much focused on energy efficiency, and they are perfect solutions for the residential market,” ABB market development manager, building automation ANZ and electrification Christian Schiemann explains.

“ABB decided to sponsor the installation of our technology in the 10-star house as a showcase of what it can do for Australian homes.”

ABB-free@home lets homeowners control lighting, shutters, electric windows and awnings from their smart phone. Homes with artificial heating and cooling systems can also use these controls, but the SUHO 10-star Home has its environment managed by its passive design and a recovery ventilation system.

For added convenience, ABB-free@home also integrates with third party solutions – such as whitegoods and audio systems – as well as other ABB smart home products, such as the ABB-Welcome door entry system to boost home security.

FIMER’s REACT2 solar-energy storage system combines with ABB-free@home to make the most of the energy generated by the PV system on the roof. ABB-free@home monitors the status of the battery, for instance, to show how much solar energy has been generated and how much has been stored.

“Most Australian new builds are at the six-star level, which in the global vision is a pretty poor standard when it comes to energy usage,” Christian says.

“A six-star house uses on average 83MJ per square metre and a 10-star house is so passive it only uses 3MJ per square metre – a massive difference. Having the ABB system that takes care of energy usage helps to achieve an outstanding rating.”