H2OME

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When an older parent lives alone out of town

Adult children worry most when the weather turns and the phone line goes quiet. A system that switches over by itself takes one thing off the list.

Nobody should have to start a generator at 80

A petrol generator in the shed is no help to someone who cannot pull the cord, cannot carry the fuel, or should not be out in a gale finding the extension leads. In practice many of them sit there unused while the house goes cold. A parent who is unsteady on their feet in the dark is also the person most likely to fall during an outage.

What it would keep running

  • Personal alarm base and cordless phone
  • Heat pump in the lounge
  • Hallway and bathroom night lights
  • Freezer of ready meals
  • Router and mobile charging

Nothing to do, nothing to remember

The battery and inverter run in UPS mode, so the lights, heat pump and personal alarm base stay on without anyone pressing a button. The fuel cell refills the battery from stored hydrogen, which was made earlier on cheap night-rate power. There is no fuel to buy and no engine to service. Leak sensors, automatic shutdown and venting work on their own.

If your parent uses powered medical equipment such as oxygen, a hospital bed or a mobility scooter, keep their power company's medically dependent registration and their clinician's plan in place. The system is a backup to those, not a replacement, and it is not a hospital-grade supply. Talk it through with their GP or nurse.

How it works →
The H2OME loop: an electrolyser splits water into hydrogen, the hydrogen is stored in a tank for weeks, a fuel cell turns it into electricity for your home, and the water returns to the loop.

Keeping in touch

The thing families notice first in a storm is the silence. A cordless landline base, a router and a mobile charger all need power, and when they stay on, a quick call settles everyone. The personal alarm keeps working, the hallway night light stays on, and the freezer full of meals the family dropped off does not need to be thrown out.

Questions

Does my parent need to do anything when the power goes?

No. It is designed to switch over instantly and by itself, so there is nothing to start, plug in or reset. They may not even notice until the neighbours mention the outage.

What maintenance does it need?

There is no engine or fuel run. It needs water for the electrolyser and periodic checks, which would be covered in the pilot. It is still in development, so service arrangements are being worked out now.

What if Dad uses oxygen or a hospital bed?

Keep his power company's medically dependent registration and his clinician's outage plan. The system is designed to keep that equipment powered, but it does not replace a medical plan or a hospital-grade supply.

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