A Wondrwall Future

November 9, 2023

Mark Lufkin, Technical Sales Director at Wondrwall, explains how theirenvironmentally, economically and socially sustainable energy systems make them a top choice for housebuilders

What can you tell us about Wondrwall and its primary mission?

The energy systems of the future must deliver people’s energy needs in a way which is environmentally, economically, and socially sustainable. With nearly 40% of global carbon dioxide emissions coming from the real estate sector, decarbonising housing is an essential step on our journey to net-zero.

The Wondrwall Group are committed to creating a future where sustainable carbon-free living is achievable and accessible by providing intelligence to harmonise supply, storage, generation, and control of energy in homes. Ultimately, contributing to the creation of a decentralised, democratised, digital energy system where demand is managed in networks of intelligent homes in coordination with local energy generation.

The Wondrwall Home Energy Management System has the potential to rapidly decarbonise entire communities together with reducing consumer energy bills, fuel poverty and the impact on local and national electricity grids. Most importantly, through the combination of AI-powered demand reduction and renewable energy generation and storage, Wondrwall can create a financial model to deliver the energy systems of the future without a significant increase in capital expenditure.

What are the main services and products that Wondrwall offers to housing developers and homeowners?

Wondrwall is the unique combination of technology for the home and a software solution which enables the house to control heating, cooling, lighting, and security functions to achieve carbon net zero while reducing energy bills for the homeowner/occupant.

The solution is made up with three integrated hardware modules – Home Automation, Gas-Free Heating and Hot Water and Net Zero Energy, along with Wondrwall’s cloud-based, AI Energy Management System.

At the heart of every Wondrwall Intelligent Home is the Wondrwall Light Switch. Each Wondrwall Light Switch has 13 built-in sensors, which when installed throughout the home form a multi-sensory network capable of capturing habitational data – including motion, luminosity, humidity, and temperature. This will expand over time with future revisions of the Wondrwall Light Switch.

This habitational data is transferred to our Energy Management System which learns how the home performs and how it is used by the homeowner/occupant. The Energy Management System processes over 20,000 datapoints for each home per day (a combination of the habitational data collected by the Wondrwall Light Switches and external sources of information, such as weather forecasts, energy tariffs, geo-location and user preferences) to plot the most efficient use of the homes, heating, cooling, lighting, security and energy storage in order to minimise consumption, cost, grid use and maximise self-use.

With sustainability now at the core of most industries, how is Wondrwall keeping up with this growing demand?

It is one of the main achievements of the Wondrwall Group that we have always been at the forefront, pushing the sustainability agenda in the housing sector. For the past 5 years we have been demonstrating the potential for sensor technology, IoT and low carbon heating in combination with renewable energy generation to not only decarbonise our homes but also reduce homeowners’ energy bills.

The current political climate seems to want to perpetuate the notion that decarbonisation always equates to additional expense for the consumer. There needs to be further debate on this point as the costs associated with future retrofit measures in new build housing far outweigh embracing new technologies during construction. However, it does seem clear that the adoption of renewable technologies working in silo will not be the silver bullet for carbon neutral housing. A clean energy system in today’s home must be integrated and optimised, able to learn, adapt, and improve to stay relevant.

Wondrwall Home Energy Management System designed to deliver on this, but we are not standing still when it comes to developing the market-leading sustainable solutions required to address the needs of all UK house builders. In an extraordinary partnership aimed at supporting the UK government’s ambitious goal of delivering 600,000 heat pumps annually, Wondrwall and Daikin are leading the way in the Department of Energy Security and Net Zero Heat Pump Ready Stream 2 project. This strategic collaboration not only seeks to revolutionise how homes are powered and heated but also shows the art of the possible for the types of collaborations that will be required to achieve the nation’s sustainability objectives.

The United Kingdom’s commitment to transitioning to cleaner and more sustainable heating solutions faces a formidable challenge—the capacity of the electricity grid. Heat pumps, reliant on electricity, present the potential to strain this crucial infrastructure. Furthermore, the shift from conventional gas heating to electric heat pumps has not consistently resulted in significant reductions in homeowners’ energy bills. This can be attributed primarily to the relatively higher cost of electricity compared to gas.

The partnership between Wondrwall and Daikin represents a watershed moment in addressing these pressing challenges. At its core, this collaboration revolves around alleviating the stress on the energy grid caused by the electrification of domestic heating by empowering households to autonomously control heating functions, generate their own electricity and optimise energy consumption. This innovative approach is closely aligned with the objective of minimising energy costs for homeowners.

By harnessing Wondrwall’s energy generation capabilities and taking advantage of off-peak electricity rates, the cost of energy imports sees a substantial reduction. This not only bolsters the economic attractiveness of heat pumps but also champions the broader cause of energy efficiency and sustainability.

What about when it comes to energy-efficiency?

Wondrwall has created a solid foundation with regards to energy efficiency. Over the past 3 years we have proven that our Home Energy Management energy and cost reduction against Part L 2013 standards, the 2021 uplift and represents additional benefits over and above what the Future Homes Standard is expected to deliver.

We expect to be able to continue this trend as we collaborate with Daikin to integrate Air Source Heat Pumps into the Wondrwall solution. As part of this groundbreaking initiative, we are thrilled to extend an exclusive invitation to a limited number of housebuilders. This invitation offers them the unique opportunity to install and test the Wondrwall/Daikin solution at a subsidised rate. If you are passionate about becoming a part of this transformative journey towards net-zero living and aspire to be at the forefront of delivering the future of energy-efficient, cost-effective homeownership, we strongly encourage you to reach out to us.

The trial is backed by the Department of Energy Security and Net Zero and results from the trial will be independently validated by Birmingham City University. If the Show Home readership is passionate about becoming a part of this transformative journey towards net-zero living and aspire to be at the forefront of delivering the future of energy-efficient, cost-effective homeownership, we strongly encourage them to reach out to us.

What response have you received from housing developers that have opted for your solutions?

Currently, only 4% of UK new build homes are built to an EPC A rating. There is a myriad of economic and operational factors behind that figure, but it is a stark reminder of the work that we have to do. Current requirements of the Future Homes Standard doesn’t require an A rating and it also doesn’t factor in emissions from cooking, washing, drying, working or entertainment, which account for a growing proportion of household energy consumption. This is a missed opportunity, but the intelligent homes we are helping housing developers to build are already a step ahead.

The greatest response that we can receive is knowing that Wondrwall technology is enabling house builders to create the sustainable communities with homes fit for the future that they want to produce but have previously been unable to do so.

The response from the homeowner is just as, if not more, important. In this area we are seeing owners of an intelligent home with Wondrwall technology have their energy bills reduced by up to 90% and in ideal conditions might never have to pay another heating bill ever again.

We are also already looking forward to being able to share feedback and testimonials from the Heat Pump Ready Stream 2 Trial. Do not miss the opportunity to be part of this transformative journey towards a brighter, more sustainable future. Together, we can shape a world where sustainable living is not only possible but also economically advantageous and environmentally responsible.

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