Home / New Zealand guides / Outage operations / The first hour without mains power: Multigenerational home
New Zealand planning guidance for a specific property and load boundary. Keep instructions accessible to all residents. H2OME remains in early development.
The first hour is for identifying the interruption, checking people and avoiding unnecessary demand. Confirm whether the problem affects the property or the network through the appropriate supplier channels. Use existing authorised operating instructions; a loss of supply is not a reason to open equipment or improvise wiring.
A calm checklist prevents everybody switching on test appliances while essential loads are settling. Note the time, check the agreed priorities and communicate the current operating limit. If there are alarms, unusual smells or other hazards, follow the emergency plan and keep clear.
Multiple hot-water cylinders, heaters and kitchen appliances need a staggered-use assessment rather than a blanket inclusion.
Different sleeping patterns, separate kitchenettes and mobility needs can extend the essential operating window. A single family representative may miss appliances used in another part of the house.
For a multigenerational home, put the check-in task ahead of testing every appliance. Confirm who checks two refrigeration loads, assumed combined average, who establishes network status and whether the extra one-hour charging point is actually needed or already covered by the base communications load.
Keep instructions accessible to all residents. Accessibility and medical needs require their own contingency arrangements. An unproven energy system cannot be the sole basis for a care or evacuation decision.
All numbers below are hypothetical teaching inputs, not measured appliance specifications or product performance. The topic-specific extra load is separate from the base set; omit it if your real inventory already counts it. This worksheet does not include conversion overhead, protection design or a contingency allowance.
For a multigenerational home, assume the selected base loads average 0.36 kW for 16 hours: 0.36 × 16 = 5.76 kWh. Separately, an extra check-in light and charging point draws an assumed 30 W for 1 hours: (30 ÷ 1,000) × 1 = 0.03 kWh. The combined illustrative demand is 5.79 kWh.
Early discretionary demand is small individually but should still have an owner and purpose.
For arithmetic only, if the complete storage chain had a hypothetical 30% round-trip efficiency, delivering 5.79 kWh would require 5.79 ÷ 0.30 = 19.3 kWh of charging input. This is not a measured H2OME efficiency or recovery result. Ongoing demand during charging would add to the required input.
Base operating window: 16 hours. Extra illustrative load: An extra check-in light and charging point, 30 W for 1 hours. Replace every input with a measured or professionally established value.
In New Zealand, discuss supply arrangements and connection questions with your electricity retailer and distributor. Ask the local council about relevant siting, building and water-use requirements. Use appropriately qualified electrical and hydrogen professionals, and refer workplace safety questions to WorkSafe guidance. This page does not establish a consent or compliance outcome.
For medically dependent people in New Zealand, register with your electricity retailer, the company that bills you, and keep that registration current. Re-register when switching retailers; ask the retailer how the distributor is informed and what clinical confirmation is needed. Follow the clinician and equipment provider's contingency plan. Registration does not guarantee uninterrupted electricity, and H2OME is not a substitute for that plan.
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.
Hydrogen is an energy store, not free energy. Grid input, wind and micro-hydro are the charging options considered here. Each requires its own supply assessment. Do not install hydrogen equipment, modify fixed wiring, bypass protection or improvise a connection from this guide.
These official resources provide energy, consumer and technical background. They are not endorsements of H2OME, proof of its performance or a substitute for site-specific professional advice.
Different sleeping patterns, separate kitchenettes and mobility needs can extend the essential operating window. A single family representative may miss appliances used in another part of the house. Keep instructions accessible to all residents.
No. The 5.79 kWh total is an illustrative demand worksheet, not a runtime result. Actual appliance measurements, usable storage output, starting demand, conversion overhead and reserve limits are needed. The 10 kW design target is not demonstrated output capability.
In New Zealand, discuss supply arrangements and connection questions with your electricity retailer and distributor. Ask the local council about relevant siting, building and water-use requirements. Use appropriately qualified electrical and hydrogen professionals, and refer workplace safety questions to WorkSafe guidance. This page does not establish a consent or compliance outcome. Use the worksheet to brief the relevant professionals, not to install, modify or operate hydrogen equipment.
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.