Mark and Jude's Story - OFFGRID NOW® with a Swimming Pool in Pomona, QLD.
I drove through the quiet streets in the late afternoon, surrounded by tall trees in the suburb of Pomona. As I reached the wide gates of Mark and Jude’s property, Jude was there waiting to welcome me. She showed me inside and we stood in a roomy kitchen while she offered a drink and a delicious Anzac biscuit she had baked.
Their house felt open and lived in — like a real home. There was plenty of space across a generous floorplan, and it was easy to settle into conversation about their off-grid system.
Mark and Jude led me through the house to the backyard, where their OFFGRID NOW® ROBUSTA 12.30 battery cabinet (12 kW inverter / 30 kWh battery) sits beside a carefully tended garden. After a brief tour and some conversation, we started talking about why they chose an OFFGRID NOW® battery system.
The OFFGRID NOW® Robusta cabinet fits neatly against the wall with minimal footprint.
Mark explained how the situation looked when they first moved in.
“When we first came here I knew the house already had solar — 42 panels — and they weren’t that old. The previous owners installed them in 2019. I thought that should produce enough power,” he said.
“The problem we have here is the tree coverage.”
He pointed towards the surrounding trees and explained how the angle of the sun affects their solar production throughout the year. In winter they only get about three hours of sunlight on one section of the roof, and maybe four hours on the other side. Off Grid Now replaced the panels on the far side with newer, larger modules, which made a noticeable difference.
But for Mark and Jude, the decision wasn’t just about bigger panels, a larger battery, or lower power bills since the system was installed in September. What really made the difference was the way the Off Grid Now team approached the job.
Mark described how frustrating his early research had been. Comparison websites listed companies and prices, but most of the interaction happened over the phone with salespeople who wanted to sign him up without ever seeing the property.
During renovations, Mark had already paid $1,500 to have a generator transfer switch professionally installed in the meter box. Because they live somewhat remotely and experience regular blackouts, he wanted to make sure any battery system would work properly with that setup.
But when he raised that question with several companies, none of them would come out to inspect the site.
“Not one,” he said. “That’s where I really lost faith in it.”
Eventually Jude heard about OFFGRID NOW® through word of mouth. When they contacted the team, things immediately felt different.
They came out to the property, inspected the generator transfer wiring, and discussed how everything would work together. They even set up equipment to measure EMF levels around the house at different times of the day — something Mark and Jude were curious about before committing to the installation.
“They had it on before and after it was all set up, and there was no change,” Jude explained.
It was a small step that made a big difference.
“That’s what sold it,” Mark said. “Having a person physically in front of you. And if they didn’t know the answer, they’d go away, find out, and come back to you. That’s what I grew up with — customer service.”
Life at their property comes with some significant power demands. The house has a large floorplan that requires air conditioning, and there’s also a 70,000-litre swimming pool.
“Aircon first, then the pool,” Mark said. “Combined they chew up around 10 kW per hour.”
Off Grid Now sized the system to handle those loads.
Mark keeps a close eye on the pool’s chemistry, checking salt levels and pH regularly. With the pool cover on during summer, he only needs to run the pump for about four hours a day. In winter, around two hours is enough as long as the chemical balance is maintained. Rain can dilute the chemicals and affect the pH, so he keeps a careful watch on it.
Another big improvement came from upgrading the solar panels themselves. Their original panels were rated at 315 watts. The new ones installed by OFFGRID NOW® are around 590 watts — almost double the output per panel.
With the Queensland government rebate applied, the panels themselves were effectively covered, leaving installation as the main cost.
Mark also explained one of the biggest challenges with their solar setup: shading.
When solar panels are wired in a string, shade on one panel can reduce the output of the whole group unless you install the right connectors or optimisers. With the number of trees around their property, that was a critical issue.
“That’s the prime issue here — trees,” Mark said.
OFFGRID NOW® addressed the problem with the right layout and connectors so that shaded panels wouldn’t drag down the performance of the entire array.
The battery cabinet itself surprised Mark.
“It’s smaller than I actually thought,” he admitted.
But despite its compact size, it sits at the heart of the system that keeps their home running during storms and grid outages.
That reliability became clear during recent storms in the Pomona area. While neighbours lost power — in some cases for days — Mark and Jude barely noticed.
“We didn’t even know that the blackout had happened,” Mark said.
They only realised something was wrong when a neighbour mentioned a fallen power line. One of their neighbours has an automatic generator that starts whenever the grid goes down, and the sound of it stopping was the signal that power had finally returned.
During the storm, some neighbours were without electricity for four days. Mark and Jude even lent one neighbour a generator so she could keep essential appliances running.
For them, though, it was simply business as usual. Their lights, fridge, air conditioning and pool pump all kept running thanks to the battery system.
Small gestures from the OFFGRID NOW® team after installation also stood out. They returned to do some additional wiring work behind the scenes so certain systems could operate together smoothly. Whenever Mark had questions, someone followed up quickly and explained things clearly.
Mark admitted he paid a little more than some of the other quotes he received. But for him, the certainty, the site visit, the EMF testing and the straightforward answers made it worthwhile.
Before I left, we wandered back into the yard where the battery cabinet sat beside the shed, and kept talking. An hour of conversation that had already taught me plenty.
Mark and Jude had chosen a system that suited their life — a big house, a big pool, and a desire for calm independence. More importantly, they chose people who treated them properly.
The installation wasn’t just technical work. It gave Mark and Jude certainty, clear support, and a home that runs more smoothly and with far less worry.
Mark & Judy’s Off Grid Solar System Specifications
OFFGRID NOW® Robusta 12.30
Includes DEYE 12kW inverter and a 30.72kWh battery
8.26kW Solar Panel Array (14 x 590W solar panels) - Total 28kW.
Appliance List
Hot water system type: Rheem 425 litre 10 kW, only run during the day
Cooktop/oven type: Convection oven, microwave
Aircon type/size: Ducted airconditioning 7kW, Mitsubishi
Dishwasher: Half drawer
Laundry appliances: Front load washing machine, 5 out of 6 energy
Sauna/Spa/Pool: 70,000 litre pool
EV - No
