Cam and Chloe Waru, with their 2-year-old daughter Maci, were selected in February to live rent-free for a year in PowerNet's first smart energy home, to test the company's latest power-saving technologies.
Despite the two-bedroom house being decked out with technologies the family had never used in previous houses, including an electric vehicle, they found their power bills were ``surprisingly lower'', even in the midst of winter.
The family had previously paid around $300 per month on power, without the benefits of an electric vehicle or dishwasher, using just one heat pump and a log burner for heat, Mr Waru said.
``Our most recent power bill was $258. We charge an electric vehicle, use the dishwasher all of the time, rely on two heat pumps and we most definitely use the washer/dryer.
``So we pay around the same amount but we are able to do more with our power,'' he said.
The savings came from knowing what power retailers could offer in regards to off-peak power rates, he said.
``If we are smart about when and how we use our power, we could all walk away with a bit more cash in our pockets.''
While living rent-free was the biggest money-saver, technology savings came from the electric vehicle, Mr Waru said.
``We have gone from spending around $60 to $80 on petrol a week ... with the electric vehicle we have travelled almost 2500km and have only spent $82 in the last five months we have been here, which is just incredible savings.''
- Sharon Reece
