Smart Wiring™ Receives National Excellence Award in Australia

A new concept in home wiring, called Smart Wiring™, was given national attention in Australia last winter when it won the National Electrical Communications Association's (NECA) "Award for Excellence."

"Smart Wiring™ represents a whole new era in home wiring," said John Fennell, Chief Executive Officer of the Copper Development Centre Australia, who initiated the project and who was on-hand in Melbourne to receive the award. "This is an important development because the modern home is fast becoming a centre for business, learning, on-line shopping, entertainment, convenience and energy efficiency."

The Australian initiative provides the world's first standardized, independent wiring structure for pre-wiring homes under construction for communication and operational services, such as telecommunications (telephony, Internet, pay TV, fax), security, audio, lighting, and garden irrigation. "Smart-wired™ houses and 'smart communities' are the face of the future because consumers want technology that allows them to communicate locally, nationally and globally," said Fennell.

Smart Wiring™ is highly affordable and uses a substantial amount of additional copper.

The complete Smart Wiring™ package for an average 2500 square-foot home is expected to cost approximately 2% of the cost of the home during construction, just a fraction of the cost to retro-wire the home at a later date. A fully-optioned 2500 square-foot home contains an extra 100 kilograms of copper. "By pre-wiring homes during construction, new home builders will save thousands of dollars," said Fennell. "The additional cost can be added to the homeowner's mortgage."

A Smart-wired™ display house has been built at Homeworld in the Sydney suburb of Kellyville, which opened to the public in February 2001. The concept has been launched in Singapore and Malaysia, and will soon be launched in other Southeast Asian nations.

Consumers can order the complete Smart Wiring™ package or select options for security telecommunications, audio, lighting and garden irrigation. For more information, contact John Fennell, Copper Development Centre Australia, at +61 2 9380 2000 or e-mail jjfennell@copperdev.com.

Credits: Smart Wiring's™ technology independent wiring structure was developed in collaboration with Telstra, Foxtel, Clipsal, Tyree Holdings, HPM, Cisco, Krone, Pirelli, Belden, BHP, LG and the Housing Industry Association. A Smart Wiring™ training course was developed by the Copper Development Centre, in conjunction with NECA, to facilitate product introduction. Over 16,000 electricians will be trained in Australia over the next few years to install data lines and wire a home for power at the same time.