Home / Australia guides / Load planning

Load planning in Australia

Measure electrical demand before choosing equipment, separating sustained power, starting demand and stored energy.

Choose the question, then the property

The 6 topics below use ten different property contexts. Select the setting whose operating boundary matches your situation, rather than assuming a whole-property rating from a small appliance example.

H2OME is in early development. Its 10 kW output figure is a design target, not a proven specification. There is no confirmed price, certification, commercial availability or guaranteed runtime in this guide.

In Australia, check connection questions with your electricity retailer and distributor. Use electrical professionals holding the licence required in your state or territory, and ask the local council about relevant siting, building and water-use requirements. Energy Made Easy covers New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania and the Australian Capital Territory; outside those jurisdictions, check the relevant state or territory consumer energy comparison resource. Compare your actual tariff and charging window, not an assumed national rate. This guide does not claim to know a particular state's approval process.

Essential load inventory

Start with tasks, not every socket. Food storage, drinking water, communication and safe movement are separate needs, each with an appliance, an operating window and an alternative. Record rated watts as a first pass, then measure representative use because a nameplate may describe a maximum rather than an average.

Watts versus kilowatt-hours

Power describes the rate of electricity use; energy describes how much is used over a period. A kilowatt is 1,000 watts. A steady 1 kW load operating for one hour uses 1 kWh. These units answer different questions: whether equipment can support a load now, and how much usable energy a schedule needs.

Motor starting demand

Pumps, compressors and other motors can draw a brief starting current much higher than their running current. A low daily energy figure can therefore coexist with a difficult start. Record the motor and controller information so a qualified professional can assess the relevant supply, protection and starting behaviour.

Appliance duty cycles

A thermostat-controlled load switches between operating states. Multiplying its maximum input by every hour can exaggerate consumption, while measuring only a quiet interval can understate it. Log a complete representative operating cycle and note ambient conditions, door openings, water use or other factors that change the cycle.

Simultaneous loads

An energy total can look comfortable while several appliances exceed the available output when used together. Build a short timeline showing what starts, what stays on and what can be delayed. Include the return of mains power because automatically restarting equipment can create an unexpected overlap.

Usable energy reserves

An outage plan needs a reserve for essential tasks, controlled shutdown and uncertainty. First calculate scheduled demand, then identify what has not been captured, such as control electronics, conversion overhead or an unusually long pump cycle. A reserve is a planning assumption, not extra physical capacity.

Other assessment themes

Contact us

Ask us about H2OME, tell us about your property or register your interest in the proposed system. We are in early development. No payment or purchase commitment; contacting us does not guarantee a pilot installation.