In this Auckland villa, upgrades across heating, water, and solar reveal how Home Solutions makes the journey to carbon zero practical and achievable, helping families enjoy efficient, comfortable living powered by green energy.
As more New Zealanders look to reduce their carbon footprint, rethinking how our homes use energy has never been more important.
For Fisher & Paykel Home Solutions, that means creating connected systems that make decarbonising simpler – a vision tested in one family's journey to transform their century-old villa.
With residential and commercial buildings accounting for almost 40% of energy-related carbon emissions globally, the need to transition to green energy is apparent, yet the path to a low-carbon home isn't always clear.
The technology is available – from solar panels, heat pumps, to electric vehicles and smart Wi‑Fi controls – but coordinating all those parts together with design and build partners can be complex.
Making the complex simple
When Dan Witten‑Hannah, CEO of Fisher & Paykel, set out to build his own carbon‑zero home, he found the process surprisingly fragmented. Designers, builders, and trades all worked in isolation, and making the 'right' decision often meant navigating conflicting advice.
The difficulty he faced in achieving a carbon‑zero home led him to form Fisher & Paykel Home Solutions, a service that brings together front‑end design, specification, hardware, installation, servicing and support under one roof.
To lead it, Dan turned to Matt Orr, whose own home in Auckland would later become a proving ground for what this integrated approach could achieve.
From draughty villa to smart home
With new homes, whole‑of‑home energy systems are typically considered all at once, with the ability to amend plans to make improvements. However, with Matt's family home, the Home Solutions team needed to work within the constraints of the existing heritage structure.
The villa had charm – but also drafts, old gas heating, and patchy insulation. Rather than taking on a complete retrofit (both impractical and expensive), Matt decided to take the house on a staged journey toward carbon zero, replacing fossil‑fuel systems with renewable alternatives, one by one.
A staged approach
The first step was solar, with solar panels designed for the north-facing roof. Paired with a battery, the system stores excess energy for use during energy spikes in the evenings, with an EV charger added to power the family's electric vehicles.
Next came hot water, integrating a Haier Monoblock Heat Pump Water Heater with the solar PV system. By storing renewable energy as hot water, this heat pump system can cut electricity use by up to 70%.*
In addition, features offered on the SmartHQ™ app include remote access via smartphone to energy-efficient settings like 'Holiday mode' when the family are away.
Replacing gas heating followed. Home Solutions developed a whole-of-home Haier ducted air-conditioning system that re-used existing ducting and added discreet floor vents that fit the villa aesthetic. The home now warms in minutes, maintaining an even temperature all year round.
Finally, a Fisher & Paykel Classic 5 Zone Induction Pyrolytic Cooker replaced the gas hob, providing fast, precise, direct heat with minimal heat loss.
By switching from gas to induction, cooking at home becomes cleaner and more efficient, eliminating on-site emissions and paving the way for a lower-carbon home — especially when powered by renewable energy.
A new kind of comfort
Today, the Orr family's home no longer relies on fossil fuels. Energy is generated, stored and used efficiently, and the result is a home that feels consistently comfortable – warm in winter, cool in summer, and lighter on both bills and carbon.
It's proof that going carbon-zero doesn't need to happen all at once. With connected design and coordinated systems, it can be a journey — one that respects both the homes we love and the planet we share.
At Fisher & Paykel Home Solutions, we help homeowners take those steps — bringing together the technology, design thinking and support needed to create better-performing, lower-carbon homes.
This project was first featured in Homestyle magazine.
*Energy savings of 69-79% are based on Haier Monoblock 200L, 250L and 330L when compared to a standard electric storage water heater in Zones 1 to 5 in AS/NZS4234.