“For the consumer this is a technological leap on what you had before. Every circuit is programmable and monitorable from an app, so you can see your power use, get told when something trips, and even turn things off and on from your phone. It sets you up for the future too, ready for metering, solar and battery, and the design is so sleek it doesn't look out of place. There's around a thousand dollars a year in energy savings on the calculator I've seen, which is pretty good in the times we're having. I'd totally recommend it for any new build or retrofit.”
On the install
Wayne fitted a Basis Board into a Christchurch home and rates it as a technological leap on the old switchboard. One thing he flagged is how sleek it is, only 20 to 30 millimetres deep even with the lid on, so it doesn't look out of place. He'd happily put one into any new build or retrofit.
What stood out
For Wayne it's the control and the insight. Every circuit is programmable from an intuitive app, so the homeowner can monitor power use, see where the problems are, and turn circuits off and on remotely. That's handy for switching the hot water or heat pump back on before you land home from a trip, and the board even works out the smartest time to switch the hot water cylinder off while you're away. Once it has enough data it can compare your energy plan against other providers to check you're on the best deal, which Wayne rates as a fantastic feature. It also future-proofs the home for metering, solar and battery, while the energy savings stack up to around a thousand dollars a year.
A sleek, future-proofed upgrade with full app control and around $1,000 a year in energy savings.
