Australia needs more houses. In a world where polarising points of view has become a blood sport I think it is safe to say we need more homes built to deal with housing affordability.
Affordability is the key, not only in terms of supply and demand but also in running costs.
Doing their part to address both aspects, LG have announced a partnership with Greater Homes, a modular home builder to create affordable housing but also to make them energy efficient
According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, construction costs post-pandemic are 40-45% higher than before COVID and energy prices aren’t reducing either.
This has resulted in mortgage payments consuming around half of a household income and rents eating up a third.
LG’s partnership with Greater Homes supports the construction of modular homes, built in a factory environment, in a fraction of the time to build traditional houses and at an approximate 30% saving using over 80% recycled materials.
LG is where the smarts come in. By utilising their Home Energy Management System (HEMS) they will harness the power of AI to minimise energy use and be smart about how energy is created and consumed.
At the heart of the system Homey Pro will be integrated into the build. The nerds of us know Homey Pro as a smart home hub which in this case will act as a central brain for smart devices embedded in the new home, ensuring energy is not wasted.
It really is a smart move (no pun intended) as although many of us own smart devices and the geekiest of us may have Smartthings, Apple Home, Google Hubs or Alexa devices, the systems tend to be ad-hoc, pieced together to sort-of do what we want.
LG’s partnership with the home builders mean that the system is planned, seamlessly working with existing smart devices and as it is compatible with many smart home protocols such as Wi-Fi, Zigbee, Z-Wave, Bluetooth, Matter and Thread, it provides a platform for future ones as families grow.
LG have provided some interesting stats on energy costs across the nation and although the National Battery Program is providing relief for many, upfront costs are out of reach for many households.
| Factor | South Australia | Queensland | New South Wales | Victoria |
| Electricity Cost | $0.40 – $0.43 per kWh (highest) | ~$0.30 per kWh (mid) | $0.26 – $0.37 per kWh (mid-high) | $0.25-$0.32 per kWh (lowest) |
| Solar Penetration | ~55% (highest) | ~53% (2nd) | #45% (3rd) | ~35% |
| Grid Status | Price volatile; 70%+ renewable | Administered Pricing | Administered Pricing | Moderate; stable |
| Climate Demand | Cooling dominant | Extreme cooling peaks | Balanced hear/cool | Balanced; winter heating |
| Battery Uptake | Strong | Strong | Highest national | Second highest |
But even those with home batteries could potentially benefit from this partnership to co-ordinate the energy utilisation within their home.
A pilot program will be conducted in 4 regions where “initial build activities, commissioning, data collection, and preliminary result stages will be performed during 2026”. That will “assess whether combining factory-based housing delivery with embedded energy optimisation can improve project feasibility for developers while reducing ongoing energy exposure for residents”
“We are seeing rapid adoption of rooftop solar and battery systems across Australia,” said Bob Angley, Founding Partner at Greater Homes. “The missing layer is intelligent coordination ensuring appliances, solar and storage work together automatically, which is precisely LG’s expertise. This pilot allows us to test that orchestration in real housing developments.”
Gemma Lemieux, Marketing Director at LG Electronics Australia said “When innovation and technology are not layered on top of life, but thoughtfully embedded into it, our purpose becomes a reality. When homes are more responsive, more connected and more considerate of the pressures families face, that’s when Life’s Good becomes real.”
It will certainly be interesting to see what this partnership achieves but if cheaper homes, made available to more people with the ability to manage running costs, this partnership has the potential to benefit far more than the small sample in the pilot.
We will monitor the progress and keep you up to date with the pilot and any subsequent implementations
The elder statesman of the EFTM team, Rob has been a long time listener, reader and follower – He’s “Producer Rob” for the EFTM podcast and looks after our social media posts. To be fair, he’s probably the most tech-savvy bloke in the crew too!
