Last night, at one of our Melbourne sites, something important happened — not because of what went wrong, but because of how the NOX Energy managed system responded.
At 5:41PM, a faulty sprinkler on Level 4 of one our buildings triggered the building’s fire alarm system. As expected, the building’s Alarm Signalling Equipment (ASE) activated.
In less than 60 seconds — by 5:42PM — every NOX Intelligent Power Socket (IPS) in the building (40+) was automatically shut down by our NOX Management System (NMS). No manual intervention. No delays.
At the same time, the NMS alerted our team. And they were able to:
- Confirm the issue directly with the building manager
- Verify there was no ongoing risk
- Remotely reactivate all IPS at 11:05PM, once the “all clear” was given. No technician visit required
All of this happened seamlessly, in real time.
Why This Matters
While EV fires are so rare “that the risk of fire is zero,”, perception and confidence matter — especially in apartment buildings.
This is exactly why NOX Energy has built integration between our NMS and building fire systems (ASE) into our solution.
It means:
- In the event of any alarm trigger, anywhere in the building
- Every IPS is automatically deactivated
No reliance on manual shutdowns and no uncertainty.
Not Required But Done Anyway
This level of integration is not required by any Australian regulation, state authority, or council and is on top of the ‘health checks’ we do on all of our devices every 60 seconds.
We made a deliberate decision when Wylie, Matt, and I launched NOX: If there’s a practical way to improve safety and confidence, we build it in. By default. Every time.
This isn’t about compliance — it’s about trust.
Our ASE integration and health check monitoring is designed to give confidence to:
- Residents and tenants
- Strata managers, body corporate/operating committees, and insurers
- And most importantly, our fire services
Because in an emergency, simplicity and certainty matter.
A Small Incident, A Big Proof Point
Last night wasn’t an EV issue. It was a faulty sprinkler.
But it demonstrated something critical: When building systems are properly integrated, EV charging becomes just another safe, well-managed part of the building infrastructure.
And that’s exactly how it should be.
Author: Charlie Richardson, Chief Operating Officer
