wearebasis - Smart home panel (power panel that is...)

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timbosan

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#320111 7-Jul-2025 14:26

Just saw this on rnz.co.nz today - I have seen similar ones overseas (USA) but this is the first I have seen in NZ. There seems to be no geekzone thread about this so I thought I would start one :-)

They don't sell directly
I have already emailed a copy of resellers to get pricing
I cannot find out anything about integrations (Home Assistant, etc.)
Photos are hard to see

But, the promise sounds amazing! Full monitoring at the panel level, no more CT clamps all over the place. I already have a heatpump hot water cylinder so don't need the timer for that, but I don't monitor power usage so anything (including my E.V.) so that would be nice to know.

Thoughts?

richms

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#3391710 7-Jul-2025 14:33

This has been around for a while and everyone seems to think its a bad idea in general.

Proprietary breakers that only fit their panel, no mention of any non cloud capabilities and concerns that their adjustable RCD sensitivity is non compliant were what I can remember.

Richard rich.ms

mentalinc

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#3391716 7-Jul-2025 15:06

No idea who the target market is.

Seems like its pricey, which means you dont really need to scrimp and save a bit here and there. But also need to be able to afford a daily fee as well.

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gzt

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#3391733 7-Jul-2025 17:36

Latest article from RNZ

https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/business/566173/kiwi-company-launches-power-saving-panel

Handle9

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#3391744 7-Jul-2025 18:09

richms:

This has been around for a while and everyone seems to think its a bad idea in general.

Proprietary breakers that only fit their panel, no mention of any non cloud capabilities and concerns that their adjustable RCD sensitivity is non compliant were what I can remember.

Being tied into their breakers and their switchboard would be a no go for me.

If they go tits up how would you get spares etc? At least if you go for standard footprint breakers and panels if the "smart" functionality goes away you still have a perfectly servicable panel and breakers for the next 20 years.

The vertical panel is weird too. It looks like it's really been developed for North America.

timbosan

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#3391764 7-Jul-2025 20:44

I got a rough price estimate, $5,000 to $6,000 + GST. If it wasn’t for the proprietary breakers I guess the “pay and use” instead of “taking years for DIY” is a reasonable trade off for some people.

But for me, that’s the cost of a (low price sel-install) solar system with a hybrid inverter. I know which I would choose.

mentalinc

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#3391766 7-Jul-2025 20:53

Wow, how much does a normal panel cost?

This seems 4-5 times high at a guess, plus there are the daily charges depending on the plan.
Can see this being very viable in NZ market.

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timbosan

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#3391768 7-Jul-2025 20:57

mentalinc:

Wow, how much does a normal panel cost?

This seems 4-5 times high at a guess, plus there are the daily charges depending on the plan.
Can see this being very viable in NZ market.

For context, I paid about that for a full rewire including a new EVSE connection, and relocating the panel from the outside to the inside. 3 days work, second day the sparky had a helper for all the lighting work. House has skillion ceilings at the front so not an easy job.

I am going to assume someone will chip in with the price of something like a Shelly EM(?)

mentalinc

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#3391770 7-Jul-2025 21:02

Wow, good context that whole rewire is the same as that one part.

Not sure who the market is aiming at that talks of saving $1,000 year - but seems to focus purely on hot water (which we all know has many much cheaper options to control).

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mentalinc

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#3391842 8-Jul-2025 11:52

Genesis doing the same thing: https://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/companies/energy/genesis-says-ai-trial-cuts-energy-use-by-10-in-off-peak-times-with-smart-hot-water-control/NNKSFOF7GJHR3EICRJXSUWOWRQ/

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#3391984 8-Jul-2025 15:54

mentalinc:

Genesis doing the same thing: https://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/companies/energy/genesis-says-ai-trial-cuts-energy-use-by-10-in-off-peak-times-with-smart-hot-water-control/NNKSFOF7GJHR3EICRJXSUWOWRQ/

Yeah nah. A glorified ripple relay is a very different product to a fully controlled panel with integrated metering on each circuit.

mentalinc

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#3391992 8-Jul-2025 16:34

Agree, but the value prop seems to be save $1,000 a year on your power. which is just the same thing from a value prop as 'ripple control' i.e. a timer on your hot water.

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richms

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#3391996 8-Jul-2025 16:43

I can see that this will probably sell to the types that pay someone 100s of k for a full control4 setup in their house. The fact that you are calling your electrician to diagnose a fault instead of turning a breaker back on yourself kinda sums up who the target is.

Richard rich.ms

timbosan

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#3392710 10-Jul-2025 11:37

richms:

I can see that this will probably sell to the types that pay someone 100s of k for a full control4 setup in their house. The fact that you are calling your electrician to diagnose a fault instead of turning a breaker back on yourself kinda sums up who the target is.

I don't know - I see the target market as wider than that. Although based on a quick chat I had with one of the companies that install this, it seems that getting one put in for anything except a new build or rewrite is a lot of work.

But ignoring that, having "full monitoring" (I use that term loosely, hoping that even though there is no API now something will come later) is a good thing for a lot of people. But I would also hope that people who choose one of these can reset a breaker. I would be shocked (or maybe not) if they model extends to "we need to manage 100% of this product".

Doesn't Matt Ferrell have something like this the US equivalent? (undecided with matt ferrell)

gzt

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#3392796 10-Jul-2025 13:44

The Basis panel sounds like it does full NTLM appliance fingerprinting and analysis and all the good and amazing stuff that comes from that. I haven't seen anything specific about those features.

Jase2985

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#3392947 10-Jul-2025 17:53

if they cant display the price of their plans in the open without the need to contact or go on a mailing list they wont be getting my business

Too much waffle not enough info on their site.