{"id":102010,"date":"2026-09-21T06:00:13","date_gmt":"2026-09-20T20:30:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/?p=102010"},"modified":"2026-09-21T06:20:56","modified_gmt":"2026-09-20T20:50:56","slug":"the-last-dumb-box-in-an-electrified-home","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/the-last-dumb-box-in-an-electrified-home\/","title":{"rendered":"The Last Dumb Box In An Electrified Home"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-102012\" src=\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/switchboard.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2400\" height=\"1254\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/switchboard.jpg 2400w, https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/switchboard-300x157.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/switchboard-1024x535.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/switchboard-768x401.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/switchboard-1536x803.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/switchboard-2048x1070.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2400px) 100vw, 2400px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Look at what&#8217;s been bolted onto the typical Aussie home in the last decade. A solar inverter reporting panel output to your phone. A battery that trades with the grid while you sleep. A heat pump hot water system that heats from surplus solar, an EV charger with its own app.<\/p>\n<p>Then open the switchboard. It&#8217;s the same thing your parents had, with better breakers and less asbestos.\u00a0<!--more--><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>It can&#8217;t tell you how much power any individual circuit is using, so when you get a big bill, you are clueless as to why.<\/li>\n<li>It can&#8217;t switch circuits remotely to ensure you don&#8217;t overload your main breaker when on-grid<\/li>\n<li>It can&#8217;t switch circuits remotely to ensure you don&#8217;t overload your battery when in backup mode.<\/li>\n<li>It can&#8217;t tell you if a breaker&#8217;s life-saving protection has failed &#8211; depending on you to test them every 6 months with manual test buttons &#8211; which nobody does.<\/li>\n<li>And if one of those breakers trips at 2am it gives you no idea why.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Everything in the house runs through that box, and the box knows nothing. Of all the bits of home electrification, it&#8217;s the one still stuck in the last century.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"span-went-first\">SPAN went first<\/h2>\n<p>The first serious attempt came from California. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.span.io\">SPAN<\/a> was founded by a guy who worked on Tesla&#8217;s Powerwall 2, and it shows. The SPAN panel replaces the whole breaker box, puts a controllable relay and an energy monitor on each of up to 32 circuits<\/p>\n<p>It looks brilliantly executed. But it&#8217;s built for American 120\/240V split-phase power and American electrical codes. You can&#8217;t buy one here, and that won&#8217;t change without a redesign.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"basis-gave-it-a-red-hot-go\">Basis gave it a red hot go<\/h2>\n<p>Closer to home, Auckland startup <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wearebasis.com\/au\">Basis<\/a> has built the first smart switchboard designed to our shared Aussie\/Kiwi wiring rules. I read the Gen-1 technical datasheet and the full installation guide, and met the founder this week at the Everything Electric Show (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/@SolarQuotes\">video soon<\/a>). There&#8217;s plenty to admire.<\/p>\n<p>Every circuit gets digital protection you set in software: the breaker rating, the RCD sensitivity (10 or 30 mA), Type A or Type B, and AC arc fault detection. Each circuit is metered, and each can be switched remotely. There&#8217;s a surge protector built in. The chunky spring-clamp terminals are a nice touch.<\/p>\n<p>Then I tried to think about how it would work with a typical Australian solar and battery home, and realised it&#8217;s not the solution we need.<\/p>\n<p><strong>It&#8217;s indoor only.<\/strong> It must be flush-mounted inside a stud wall. In a lot of Australian homes, especially older ones, the switchboard lives in the meter box on an outside wall. The rated operating range tops out at 40\u00b0C, which an Adelaide garage passes before lunch in January.<\/p>\n<p><strong>It&#8217;s single-phase only, with a 63 A main switch.<\/strong> Three-phase homes are out. For a single-phase house with a heat pump, induction and an EV charger, 63 A works, and the board will switch circuits off dynamically to keep the load under 63A, but it&#8217;s tight.<\/p>\n<p><strong>There&#8217;s nowhere to put solar and battery gear.<\/strong> The Basis enclosure has no DIN rail. None. No space for the inverter&#8217;s main switch, the battery isolator, the backup changeover switch, the inverter&#8217;s DIN-mounted power meter, or the CTs the battery needs to see what the house is doing. The install guide&#8217;s only guidance on solar and batteries is to connect them to the bottom circuit module so the busbar doesn&#8217;t overload. On a modern Aussie job, you&#8217;d end up hanging a second enclosure next to the shiny smart one to hold everything that makes the solar and battery work.<\/p>\n<p><strong>There&#8217;s no plan for battery backup.<\/strong> The install guide doesn&#8217;t mention backup circuits at all. Ironically, per-circuit relays are exactly what you&#8217;d need to fix the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/battery-wont-power-aircon-after-dark\/\">&#8220;wrong circuits on backup&#8221; problem<\/a> that plagues Aussie battery installs.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"the-switchboard-australia-actually-needs\">The digital switchboard Australia needs<\/h2>\n<p>We&#8217;re electrifying our homes faster than almost anywhere. \u00a0The board of the future should be designed for the modern electricity-hungry Aussie home with solar, batteries, EV and backup.<\/p>\n<p>Here&#8217;s my dream spec, just in case anyone wants to make one:<\/p>\n<p><strong>Rated for outdoors.<\/strong> If it can&#8217;t live in an Australian meter box on a west-facing wall, in the sun, at 45\u00b0C, it doesn&#8217;t work for most of the country. That means a proper IP rating and a temperature range that suits Birdsville as well as Hobart.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Single and three-phase <\/strong>with main switches sized for an all-electric home with an EV charger.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Surge protection<\/strong> as standard.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Digital protection on every circuit.<\/strong> Per-circuit, programmable RCBOs with metering, configurable sensitivity, Type B where the circuit needs it, rated for reverse feed from inverters, and AC arc fault detection<sup class='endnote'><a href='https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/the-last-dumb-box-in-an-electrified-home\/#en-102010-1' id='enref-102010-1' onclick='return hhEndnotes_show(102010)'>1<\/a><\/sup>.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Self-testing that replaces the six-monthly test.<\/strong> Each circuit should test itself on a schedule, log the result and tell you if it fails. No one tests their RCDs every six months &#8211; and that&#8217;s a problem.<\/p>\n<p><strong>A proper DIN zone for solar and battery gear.<\/strong> Enough rail for a backup changeover and bypass switch, DIN-mounted power meters and whatever the next battery brand needs. Standard 35 mm rail, so any compliant device fits.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Somewhere to mount the CTs.<\/strong> Right now, current transformers get clipped onto whatever cable the installer can reach, and often end up dangling off a cable, hard to identify and too often backward. Give them a fixed, labelled mounting point on the main conductors, and make the current direction obvious.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Backup built into the design.<\/strong> Either a grid-side section and a backup section, or a whole-home design where the battery feeds the board and software sheds non-essential circuits when the grid drops. The owner should choose what stays on during a blackout, and be able to change their mind without calling a sparky.<\/p>\n<p><strong>It works without the internet.<\/strong> The relays, the protection and the monitoring should all work locally. The cloud should be a convenience. Open APIs so you don&#8217;t need proprietary monitoring or control software.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Non-proprietary modules, or a guarantee.<\/strong> Standard form factors that other makers can supply.<\/p>\n<p><strong>A pocket for the SLD, with a sign.<\/strong> Every solar and battery install should come with a single-line diagram showing how the system is wired. In my experience, they&#8217;re missing from almost all switchboards. The board of the future should have a dedicated pocket inside the door with &#8220;SLD GOES HERE &#8211; DON&#8217;T BLOODY SKIP IT!&#8221; printed on it in large letters.<\/p>\n<h2>Over to you, Basis<\/h2>\n<p>Basis has already done the hard part: digital, per-circuit protection certified to AS\/NZS standards, in a product people can buy. What&#8217;s missing for Australia is mostly the box around it. An outdoor enclosure, a three-phase version and a DIN zone for solar and battery gear.<\/p>\n<p>If you&#8217;re a sparky, tell me in the comments what I&#8217;ve missed. You open a helluva lot more switchboards than I do.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Look at what&#8217;s been bolted onto the typical Aussie home in the last decade. A solar inverter reporting panel output to your phone. A battery that trades with the grid while you sleep. A heat pump hot water system that heats from surplus solar, an EV charger with its own app. Then open the switchboard. [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":102012,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[509],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-102010","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-solar-innovations","entry"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v28.4 (Yoast SEO v28.4) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>The Last Dumb Box In An Electrified Home - SolarQuotes Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Smart switchboards promise circuit-by-circuit control, but the first ones don&#039;t suit Aussie solar and battery homes. Here&#039;s what we need.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/the-last-dumb-box-in-an-electrified-home\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The Last Dumb Box In An Electrified Home\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Smart switchboards promise circuit-by-circuit control, but the first ones don&#039;t suit Aussie solar and battery homes. Here&#039;s what we need.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/the-last-dumb-box-in-an-electrified-home\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"SolarQuotes Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/SolarQuotes\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-09-20T20:30:13+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-09-20T20:50:56+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/switchboard.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"2400\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1254\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Finn Peacock\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@FinnPeacock\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@solar_quotes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.solarquotes.com.au\\\/blog\\\/the-last-dumb-box-in-an-electrified-home\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.solarquotes.com.au\\\/blog\\\/the-last-dumb-box-in-an-electrified-home\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Finn Peacock\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.solarquotes.com.au\\\/blog\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/495c35fb3086e6ef93220dcf2472b178\"},\"headline\":\"The Last Dumb Box In An Electrified Home\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-09-20T20:30:13+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-09-20T20:50:56+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.solarquotes.com.au\\\/blog\\\/the-last-dumb-box-in-an-electrified-home\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":1188,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.solarquotes.com.au\\\/blog\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.solarquotes.com.au\\\/blog\\\/the-last-dumb-box-in-an-electrified-home\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.solarquotes.com.au\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/09\\\/switchboard.jpg\",\"articleSection\":[\"Solar Innovations\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-AU\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.solarquotes.com.au\\\/blog\\\/the-last-dumb-box-in-an-electrified-home\\\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.solarquotes.com.au\\\/blog\\\/the-last-dumb-box-in-an-electrified-home\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.solarquotes.com.au\\\/blog\\\/the-last-dumb-box-in-an-electrified-home\\\/\",\"name\":\"The Last Dumb Box In An Electrified Home - SolarQuotes Blog\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.solarquotes.com.au\\\/blog\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.solarquotes.com.au\\\/blog\\\/the-last-dumb-box-in-an-electrified-home\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.solarquotes.com.au\\\/blog\\\/the-last-dumb-box-in-an-electrified-home\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.solarquotes.com.au\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/09\\\/switchboard.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-09-20T20:30:13+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-09-20T20:50:56+00:00\",\"description\":\"Smart switchboards promise circuit-by-circuit control, but the first ones don't suit Aussie solar and battery homes. Here's what we need.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.solarquotes.com.au\\\/blog\\\/the-last-dumb-box-in-an-electrified-home\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-AU\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.solarquotes.com.au\\\/blog\\\/the-last-dumb-box-in-an-electrified-home\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-AU\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.solarquotes.com.au\\\/blog\\\/the-last-dumb-box-in-an-electrified-home\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.solarquotes.com.au\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/09\\\/switchboard.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.solarquotes.com.au\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/09\\\/switchboard.jpg\",\"width\":2400,\"height\":1254},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.solarquotes.com.au\\\/blog\\\/the-last-dumb-box-in-an-electrified-home\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Blog\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.solarquotes.com.au\\\/blog\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Solar Innovations\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.solarquotes.com.au\\\/blog\\\/category\\\/solar-innovations\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":3,\"name\":\"The Last Dumb Box In An Electrified Home\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.solarquotes.com.au\\\/blog\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.solarquotes.com.au\\\/blog\\\/\",\"name\":\"SolarQuotes Blog\",\"description\":\"An independent reckoning of the Aussie solar scene\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.solarquotes.com.au\\\/blog\\\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.solarquotes.com.au\\\/blog\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-AU\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.solarquotes.com.au\\\/blog\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"SolarQuotes\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.solarquotes.com.au\\\/blog\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-AU\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.solarquotes.com.au\\\/blog\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.solarquotes.com.au\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2019\\\/05\\\/solarquotes-logo.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.solarquotes.com.au\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2019\\\/05\\\/solarquotes-logo.png\",\"width\":592,\"height\":600,\"caption\":\"SolarQuotes\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.solarquotes.com.au\\\/blog\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.facebook.com\\\/SolarQuotes\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/x.com\\\/solar_quotes\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.instagram.com\\\/solarquotes\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/au.linkedin.com\\\/company\\\/solarquotes\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.youtube.com\\\/user\\\/SolarQuotesAustralia\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.solarquotes.com.au\\\/blog\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/495c35fb3086e6ef93220dcf2472b178\",\"name\":\"Finn Peacock\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-AU\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/6416cde752d8e0b695acfadb239ba7b7026ae219306ca29f9eb28780087cbcbf?s=96&d=monsterid&r=r\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/6416cde752d8e0b695acfadb239ba7b7026ae219306ca29f9eb28780087cbcbf?s=96&d=monsterid&r=r\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/6416cde752d8e0b695acfadb239ba7b7026ae219306ca29f9eb28780087cbcbf?s=96&d=monsterid&r=r\",\"caption\":\"Finn Peacock\"},\"description\":\"I'm a Chartered Electrical Engineer, Solar and Energy Efficiency nut, dad, and the founder of SolarQuotes.com.au. I started SolarQuotes in 2009 and the SolarQuotes blog in 2013 with the belief that it\u2019s more important to be truthful and objective than popular. My last \\\"real job\\\" was working for the CSIRO in their renewable energy division. Since 2009, I\u2019ve helped over 800,000 Aussies get quotes for solar from installers I trust. Read my full bio.\",\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.solarquotes.com.au\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/x.com\\\/FinnPeacock\"],\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.solarquotes.com.au\\\/blog\\\/author\\\/admin\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"The Last Dumb Box In An Electrified Home - SolarQuotes Blog","description":"Smart switchboards promise circuit-by-circuit control, but the first ones don't suit Aussie solar and battery homes. Here's what we need.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/the-last-dumb-box-in-an-electrified-home\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"The Last Dumb Box In An Electrified Home","og_description":"Smart switchboards promise circuit-by-circuit control, but the first ones don't suit Aussie solar and battery homes. Here's what we need.","og_url":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/the-last-dumb-box-in-an-electrified-home\/","og_site_name":"SolarQuotes Blog","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/SolarQuotes\/","article_published_time":"2026-09-20T20:30:13+00:00","article_modified_time":"2026-09-20T20:50:56+00:00","og_image":[{"width":2400,"height":1254,"url":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/switchboard.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Finn Peacock","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@FinnPeacock","twitter_site":"@solar_quotes","schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/the-last-dumb-box-in-an-electrified-home\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/the-last-dumb-box-in-an-electrified-home\/"},"author":{"name":"Finn Peacock","@id":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/495c35fb3086e6ef93220dcf2472b178"},"headline":"The Last Dumb Box In An Electrified Home","datePublished":"2026-09-20T20:30:13+00:00","dateModified":"2026-09-20T20:50:56+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/the-last-dumb-box-in-an-electrified-home\/"},"wordCount":1188,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/the-last-dumb-box-in-an-electrified-home\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/switchboard.jpg","articleSection":["Solar Innovations"],"inLanguage":"en-AU","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/the-last-dumb-box-in-an-electrified-home\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/the-last-dumb-box-in-an-electrified-home\/","url":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/the-last-dumb-box-in-an-electrified-home\/","name":"The Last Dumb Box In An Electrified Home - SolarQuotes Blog","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/the-last-dumb-box-in-an-electrified-home\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/the-last-dumb-box-in-an-electrified-home\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/switchboard.jpg","datePublished":"2026-09-20T20:30:13+00:00","dateModified":"2026-09-20T20:50:56+00:00","description":"Smart switchboards promise circuit-by-circuit control, but the first ones don't suit Aussie solar and battery homes. Here's what we need.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/the-last-dumb-box-in-an-electrified-home\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-AU","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/the-last-dumb-box-in-an-electrified-home\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-AU","@id":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/the-last-dumb-box-in-an-electrified-home\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/switchboard.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/switchboard.jpg","width":2400,"height":1254},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/the-last-dumb-box-in-an-electrified-home\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Blog","item":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Solar Innovations","item":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/category\/solar-innovations\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"The Last Dumb Box In An Electrified Home"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/","name":"SolarQuotes Blog","description":"An independent reckoning of the Aussie solar scene","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-AU"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/#organization","name":"SolarQuotes","url":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-AU","@id":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/solarquotes-logo.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/solarquotes-logo.png","width":592,"height":600,"caption":"SolarQuotes"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/SolarQuotes\/","https:\/\/x.com\/solar_quotes","https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/solarquotes\/","https:\/\/au.linkedin.com\/company\/solarquotes","https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/user\/SolarQuotesAustralia"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/495c35fb3086e6ef93220dcf2472b178","name":"Finn Peacock","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-AU","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/6416cde752d8e0b695acfadb239ba7b7026ae219306ca29f9eb28780087cbcbf?s=96&d=monsterid&r=r","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/6416cde752d8e0b695acfadb239ba7b7026ae219306ca29f9eb28780087cbcbf?s=96&d=monsterid&r=r","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/6416cde752d8e0b695acfadb239ba7b7026ae219306ca29f9eb28780087cbcbf?s=96&d=monsterid&r=r","caption":"Finn Peacock"},"description":"I'm a Chartered Electrical Engineer, Solar and Energy Efficiency nut, dad, and the founder of SolarQuotes.com.au. I started SolarQuotes in 2009 and the SolarQuotes blog in 2013 with the belief that it\u2019s more important to be truthful and objective than popular. My last \"real job\" was working for the CSIRO in their renewable energy division. Since 2009, I\u2019ve helped over 800,000 Aussies get quotes for solar from installers I trust. Read my full bio.","sameAs":["https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/","https:\/\/x.com\/FinnPeacock"],"url":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/author\/admin\/"}]}},"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p2FF2s-qxk","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":101695,"url":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/plug-in-solar-has-the-safety-problem-been-solved\/","url_meta":{"origin":102010,"position":0},"title":"Plug-In Solar: Has The Safety Problem Been Solved?","author":"Kim Wainwright","date":"September 17, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Plug-in solar has moved a step closer in Australia, with federal, state and territory energy ministers agreeing to explore pathways for its safe deployment. The UK now allows approved systems, while New Zealand is also moving towards legalisation. But there\u2019s an electrical safety problem SolarQuotes raised when we looked at\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Solar Panels&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Solar Panels","link":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/category\/solar-panels-2\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Plug-in solar for Australia","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/plug-in-solar-australia.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/plug-in-solar-australia.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/plug-in-solar-australia.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/plug-in-solar-australia.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/plug-in-solar-australia.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":101240,"url":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/series-vs-parallel-connections\/","url_meta":{"origin":102010,"position":1},"title":"Solar Backup: Super Series Vs Perfect Parallel Connections","author":"Anthony Bennett","date":"September 3, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Everyone buying solar wants lower bills, but adding expensive batteries should be more about a reliable supply than straight-up bean-counting. The solar industry has, for a long time, glossed over a pretty basic point in battery-backed systems, so strap in while we explain the difference between series and parallel-connected supplies,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Solar Installation&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Solar Installation","link":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/category\/solar-installation\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/parallel-vs-series-header.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/parallel-vs-series-header.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/parallel-vs-series-header.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/parallel-vs-series-header.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/parallel-vs-series-header.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":101098,"url":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/battery-wont-power-aircon-after-dark\/","url_meta":{"origin":102010,"position":2},"title":"&#8216;The Battery Won&#8217;t Power The Aircon After Dark&#8217; (And Why That&#8217;s Not Your Fault)","author":"Finn Peacock","date":"August 17, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"\"After installation, we have found out the battery will not power the aircon after dark...\" This is a direct quote from the My Efficient Electric Home (MEEH) Facebook group. Tim Forcey suggested it deserved an article. I agree, because there's a limitation of three-phase battery systems you need to understand\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Battery Storage&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Battery Storage","link":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/category\/battery-storage\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/may-the-forcey-be-with-you.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/may-the-forcey-be-with-you.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/may-the-forcey-be-with-you.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/may-the-forcey-be-with-you.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/may-the-forcey-be-with-you.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":90506,"url":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/backup-whole-house-contactor\/","url_meta":{"origin":102010,"position":3},"title":"How a Simple Contactor Can Improve Your Battery Backup","author":"Anthony Bennett","date":"March 25, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Modest hybrid inverters are sometimes oversold by salespeople or romanticised by customers. Their ability to back up your house in a blackout can be limited by capacity and wiring constraints. If you have awkward house wiring and an older, smaller, cheaper hybrid, we may have an answer to get you\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Solar Inverters&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Solar Inverters","link":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/category\/solar-inverters\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/blackout-suburb-beacon-house.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/blackout-suburb-beacon-house.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/blackout-suburb-beacon-house.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/blackout-suburb-beacon-house.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/blackout-suburb-beacon-house.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":97884,"url":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/five-tests-you-must-do-before-your-battery-installer-leaves\/","url_meta":{"origin":102010,"position":4},"title":"Five Tests You Must Do Before Your Battery Installer Leaves","author":"Finn Peacock","date":"February 23, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Norrie is a long-time reader who just spent $8,300 on a home battery. The install looked tidy. The installers were pleasant. Then the surprises landed after they were gone. He was told only one circuit could be backed up. Not the fridge and lights together. Not the air conditioner and\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Battery Storage&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Battery Storage","link":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/category\/battery-storage\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"A battery installer leaving a house","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/battery-install-tests.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/battery-install-tests.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/battery-install-tests.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/battery-install-tests.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/battery-install-tests.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/battery-install-tests.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":97241,"url":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/four-battery-backup-myths-that-need-to-die\/","url_meta":{"origin":102010,"position":5},"title":"Four Battery Backup Myths That Need To Die","author":"Finn Peacock","date":"January 17, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Fifteen years ago, one of the hardest parts of selling solar was explaining why your panels shut down in a blackout. No grid meant no power, even on a sunny day. Today, batteries fix that. Yet I am seeing thousands of homes getting large batteries with either no backup at\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Battery Storage&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Battery Storage","link":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/category\/battery-storage\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"A man reading by candlelight","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/battery-blackout-back-up.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/battery-blackout-back-up.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/battery-blackout-back-up.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/battery-blackout-back-up.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/battery-blackout-back-up.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/switchboard.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/102010","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=102010"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/102010\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":102017,"href":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/102010\/revisions\/102017"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/102012"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=102010"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=102010"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=102010"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}