From Country Homestead to Connected Home
When Walt Collins first saw the Kilmore property, he knew almost immediately it was something special. Perched on a hill in central Victoria, the 115-year-old homestead offered history, character and sweeping views—but like many heritage homes, it also came with its challenges.
"The house was freezing when we moved in," Walt recalled. Kilmore winters are cold, wet and often unforgiving, making year-round comfort a priority from the outset.
The vision wasn't simply to restore an old home. It was to preserve its country character while introducing the comfort, efficiency and connected living expected from a modern Australian home.
A Whole-Home Approach
Decades of renovations had left the home feeling disconnected. Rather than upgrading individual systems, the project focused on creating an integrated home where heating, cooling, solar, battery storage, heat pump hot water and smart controls could work together.
Haier became central to that vision, bringing these technologies together through the SmartHQ™ app.
For Walt, that whole-home approach was one of the project's greatest strengths. It combined smart technology and automation with practical energy management, creating a home that feels both intuitive and efficient.
Designed Around the Way People Live
Every home is different, and so is the way it's used. Because of the property's age, size and evolving floor plan, Haier worked closely with Walt to design a personalised ducted heating and cooling solution, carefully considering room sizes, airflow and zoning requirements.
The zoning has become one of the home's most valuable features, allowing only occupied areas to be heated or cooled rather than conditioning the entire house.
"That's the key to energy efficiency," Walt said, highlighting the flexibility of controlling comfort where it's needed most.
Heritage Meets Modern Energy
Alongside heating and cooling, the renovation embraced solar, battery storage and heat pump hot water to help improve energy performance without compromising the home's character.
The sleek black Haier solar panels complement the heritage aesthetic while helping power the home throughout the day. Combined with battery storage, they enable the air conditioning and other household appliances to run using solar-generated energy, significantly reducing daily power costs.
The Haier Heat Pump Hot Water system has also proven transformative. One feature Walt particularly values is 'Vacation mode', which reduces unnecessary energy use while the home is unoccupied before ensuring hot water is ready on return.
Connected Living in Practice
Managing the home's connected technologies through the SmartHQ™ app has brought an added layer of convenience to everyday life.
From adjusting comfort settings remotely to monitoring connected appliances from a single interface, the app makes it easy to stay in control, whether at home or away.
Where Heritage Meets Innovation
The Country House Facelift project demonstrates how thoughtful restoration and modern technology can work hand in hand. While the Kilmore homestead has retained the warmth and character of its 115-year history, it now delivers the comfort, efficiency and connected living expected of a contemporary Australian home. For Haier, it's a compelling example of how integrated home solutions can support the way Australians want to live—bringing together comfort, energy efficiency and intelligent technology without compromising the unique character of a home.