From electric cars that feed back into the grid to smart kitchens that whip up dinner before we get home, technology is changing the way we live.
With many of these tech advancements, you can plug-and-play or retrofit them to existing home hardware, with control via your smartphone. But some require a little more preparation
So, if you’re renovating, making home improvements or building, here are some ways to prepare your home for future technological advances.
Smart home automation can be found in many houses. People control their home’s temperature, lighting, window treatments and security at the touch of a button.
An easy, affordable way to start on your smart home journey is with smart plugs, which you can switch on or off using an app on your phone or a voice command to Google Home or Amazon Echo. You can turn on a lamp when you’re not home to make it look like you are, or you can triple-check that you switched the iron off by checking the app.
To take things to the next level, you can either pre-wire high-quality cables in a new build or retrofit smart wiring if you’re updating your current home. Pre-wiring means that whatever home automation features you choose can be visible in one single interface or control panel. This makes it much easier to coordinate, manage and automate all your heating, lighting and security options. one single interface or control panel. This makes it much easier to coordinate, manage and automate all your heating, lighting and security options.
You also can add additional systems at a later stage and run conduits to the areas in your house where you may want to access video, in-wall or in-ceiling speakers and data in the future.
In the kitchen, smart devices can be retrofitted to existing appliances, such as smart stove knobs for fire prevention, or a camera system attached to a fridge that reorders food and controls other smart home devices via a front-of-fridge control. Or, you could start planning your installation of a robotic kitchen, like this one from London’s Moley Robotics.
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EV uptake is continuing to grow across Australia, with states like NSW aiming for EV sales to account for 52% of new car sales by 2030-31 and a majority of total car sales by 2035. Most electric vehicles (EVs) come with a charger you can mount in your garage using a standard electrical power point, or you can get a dedicated home charging port installed for faster charging. When planning a garage layout, factor in how you’ll charge your car and where the charging port should be.
To help reduce your energy bill, we have an energy plan for EV drivers with discounted night charging rates to help reduce your energy costs. Some newer EVs have bi-directional charging capabilities, too – which means you can use the car’s stored energy to power your home or export it back to the grid during peak times. Handy, right?
This leads us to solar home batteries. They are changing the game for homeowners with solar panels – which continue to be installed on rooftops across Australia rapidly. There were nearly 30,000 battery units sold in the first half of 2024, with the cumulative total passing 140,000 in that same period
But how does a solar home battery work? When connected to your solar set-up, it stores unused energy from your solar panels to use at night-time, or on a cloudy day. Using less energy from the grid helps to make it a more cost-effective way to power your home.
When preparing your home for battery storage, it’s good to know the pros and cons of the different batteries available and to check their installation requirements. It’s also important to understand your energy usage and check your requirements before investing.
Some battery storage systems need to be installed outside, some mounted inside to help maintain their temperature and others perform best when they are floor-standing. When installing your battery in the garage, don’t forget to consider ventilation and take advice from a professional.
The future of solar and home batteries goes beyond the four walls of your home. Virtual power plants (VPPs) – like the one we’ve created in Adelaide – enable everyday Australians to join together to support each other’s energy needs. These networks of connected solar batteries help make the grid more stable and help make energy more affordable.
VPPs put the power of orchestration to work. Orchestration is a way of topping up supply during peak demand periods with the extra energy homeowners with solar and battery systems have captured during the day.
You can also be involved in a program that helps to relieve pressure on the electricity grid when demand is high. Through our Peak Energy Rewards program, we send you an SMS to signal peak demand on the grid and then you’re invited to help reduce your home’s energy use voluntarily. Not only does this help to reduce pressure on the grid, but you’re also rewarded for participating.
Programs like VPP and Peak Energy Rewards point to a future where your home can play a much smarter role in contributing to more sustainable energy usage.
It’s not always easy to imagine what the next technological advancement will look like, but with a little planning it’s possible to soften the impact technology may have on our home renovations or building, and help us prepare for a more energy-efficient future.
