H2OME

Home / Uses / Backup power for a lifestyle block home

Keeping a lifestyle block running in outages

Five to twenty acres, a few sheep or alpacas, a bore or tank pump, a shed and a long commute. Lifestyle blocks feel outages more than town houses and have more depending on power.

More than just the house

On a block, an outage means the house goes dark and the water stops too, because the tank or bore pump is electric. Electric fences go quiet, so the neighbour's cattle find the gap. The chickens' waterer stops, the workshop compressor is idle and the septic pump can back up. Families that moved out for space find themselves driving to town to fill containers at a mate's place.

What it would keep running

  • House, kitchen and heat pump
  • Tank or bore pump
  • Electric fence energiser
  • Septic pump
  • Workshop lights and tools

Designed for the whole property

At 15 kW continuous output the system is designed to carry an average home with headroom for peaks, which on most blocks also covers the water pump, the fence energiser and the septic pump. The battery and inverter run in UPS mode, so pumps do not stall and the fence does not drop. Big irrigation pumps or a large workshop with welders running at the same time may need a bigger setup, sized honestly in the pilot.

Stored hydrogen keeps for weeks without losing charge, so a store filled on night-rate power in a calm month is ready for the storm season. Nobody has to keep jerry cans of petrol in the shed or remember to run a generator every few weeks to keep it healthy.

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.

Charging on the block

Many blocks have good wind on an exposed ridge or a stream with enough fall for micro-hydro, and either can charge the system as well as or instead of off-peak grid power. Round-trip efficiency is 30% or less, so the system is about keeping the property running, not about selling power or cutting the bill. There is no engine, which the neighbours and the livestock will appreciate during a long outage.

Questions

Will it run my irrigation pump?

A small garden or stock water pump is fine within 15 kW continuous. Large irrigation pumps can be too big, especially alongside the house. That would need a larger or multi-unit setup sized in the pilot, or may not be a fit.

Can I charge it from my stream?

It is designed to charge from micro-hydro as well as off-peak grid power or wind. Your stream's flow, its fall across the block and any consents needed would be assessed in pilot planning before anything is installed.

Will the electric fence keep working?

Yes, if the energiser is on the house supply. The battery and inverter switch over instantly, so the fence does not drop out during an outage and the stock stay where they belong.

More in homes and everyday life

Elsewhere

Every use →

Join the pilot list

Pilot installs go to people on this list first. Rural homes, farms and remote sites especially. No spam, no payment.