Born out of a garage in the Perth suburbs almost four decades ago, mum and dad airconditioning firm MyPlace made the leap to smart home technology in 2013, in a bid to bust bill shock.
It’s a “world-beating solution” that’s now in demand in Japan, Europe, and the United States, general manager Darren Bee says, so much so that they’re now an original equipment manufacturer for Fujitsu.
“Cost of living, for many people, is an issue, and ducted airconditioning in particular is the largest consumer of electricity in most homes,” he said.
“We wanted to do our bit to reduce the consumption.”
The MyPlace system creates climate ‘zones’ across a home. Sensors continuously detect the room temperature and turn the airconditioning up or down automatically as needed, controlled with the tap of a screen on the wall, and via an app.
The tech is engineering locally, in Castle Hill in Sydney. Mr Bee said while importing from overseas would “save a few dollars today,” it’s a compromise the “proud” Aussie business isn’t willing to take for its 200-plus staff, or customers.
“It’s always about quality control. If you’re offshoring, you’re subject to issues in shipping, getting lost in translation, and relying on a third party to implement something quite technical,” he said.
Father-of-two Jon Ovington, from Penrith in Sydney, recently installed a MyPlace system as part of a broader effort to bring down his power bills.
The Ovingtons have already installed a solar energy system and converted their hot water to a heat pump. It’s saved them nearly 50 per cent on the cost of their aircon.
“It’s made here and it’s supported here as well. So if we have trouble, we can pick up the phone and talk to somebody local,” Mr Ovington said.
“(Buying Australian-made) was a big part of the decision.”
The Back Australia series is supported by Harvey Norman, Australian Made Campaign, Westpac, Bunnings, TechnologyOne, Coles, R.M.Williams, Minerals Council of Australia. APA Group, Department of Mining and Energy (Northern Territory) and Australian Forestry Products Association.
Originally published as Perth aircon firm MyPlace takes its smart home tech global
