About Kingston Tower
Kingston Tower is a prestige residential complex designed by noted Canberra architect Bryan Dowling and completed in 1985. The building comprises 27 apartments across two per floor. Parking is a mix of individual lock-up garages on the ground floor and allocated open car spaces in the building’s shared undercover car park. No Wi-Fi connection was available in the parking area.
As one of Kingston’s most established addresses, the building’s owners were determined that any electrical work would preserve the same standard of quality residents expect from the rest of the property.
The Challenge
All individual lock-up garages had a general power outlets (GPOs), with others in the shared undercover area. All were connected to common power. Historically, they were used for low-consumption appliances such as refrigerators and freezers, which the Owners Corporation (OC) did not identify as a concern due to the minimal energy usage.
Over time, more residents began using these GPOs to trickle-charge their petrol cars and other appliances—unmetered and unbilled. The OC was concerned that as people purchase EVs, more of those outlets would be used with no way for the OC to see who was using them, or how much, to recoup the cost. Beyond that, given that EV’s have a significantly higher load than other appliances, the building required a level of load management to protect the building infrastructure.
With every GPO on the same shared supply, this electricity was paid for by all — including owners not using their GPOs at all. The OC needed a fix that closed off unmetered access fairly, without penalising residents who weren’t part of the problem. Until now, the only solution considered was to disconnect all GPOs.
Did You Know?
The average Australian drives approximately 15,000 km annually, which translates to roughly 2,000 kWh of EV charging energy per year (depending on vehicle efficiency).
At an electricity rate of $0.30/kWh, that’s around $600 per EV per year in energy costs.
For an Owners Corporation, even with multiple EVs charging on-site, the annual electricity exposure is typically $500–$700 per EV per year, depending on usage patterns, tariffs, and charging behaviour.
The NOX Energy Approach
NOX Energy proposed a full replacement solution. Every existing garage and car space outlet is swapped for a 15A/3.4kW Intelligent Power Socket (IPS), installed using the existing circuits — no switchboard upgrade and no new cabling required.
Every session now runs through the NOX Energy App, so every user can pay for 100% of the electricity they use, and the OC is not out of pocket. Additionally, the NOX load management system protects the building infrastructure
Because the rollout covered every existing outlet at once, there was no gap for unmetered use to continue — and the OC gained full visibility through the NOX Management System from day one. Residents still continue to have access to power, with no GPOs disconnected.
How Residents Use it
With every existing GPO now individually metered, unpaid use of common power has been eliminated immediately — ensuring transparent usage and fair access for all residents.
Many residents continue to rely on their garage power for other purposes, including running fridges, freezers, tools, and other equipment. Others who travel frequently use trickle charging to maintain their petrol vehicles while away.
Currently, only one resident is using the IPS for EV charging. However, by making dedicated charging access available to all residents, the building has removed a key barrier to EV adoption — allowing residents to confidently consider purchasing an EV without concerns around access restrictions by the OC.
Power Access Beyond EV Charging
By default, the IPS has a minimum power draw threshold set for safety.
In specific cases, such as Kingston Tower, NOX Energy can adjust this setting to accommodate lower-power devices. This ensures residents can continue to safely operate everyday appliances such as fridges, freezers, and tools — demonstrating that the IPS is not only an EV charging solution, but a flexible, multifunctional access to power.
Results
Kingston Tower converted every existing GPO to IPS. Wi-Fi access points were installed to ensure sufficient coverage in the car park area. The installation took 4 days in total.
Approximate Project Costs:
- 19 IPSs installed – $12,000
- Wi-Fi Network – $6,000
Total: $18,000
