Step into the home of the future

Posted 11 May, 2021 Samuel Smith

Think back to when you were a child. If someone asked you to picture what a home in 2021 would look like, where would your mind have teleported you to?   Perhaps your vision of the future would have involved Jetsons-esque robot maids and flying cars, or maybe it would have been darker, more Orwellian, with all-seeing surveillance and mind control. But now, we’re here in 2021. Gone are the flashy gimmicks, so popular in retro visions of the future – think mass-produced hover cars, self-clearing robotic dining tables and kitchen vending machines. In their place, we’ve embraced innovate, sustainable, eco-friendly tech, aiming to improve quality of life and minimise our impact on the Earth.   As the years progress, we’re likely to see significant changes to the way our homes are designed, how they’re powered and how they interact with the natural environment. Homes are transforming at a rapid rate, to suit our ever-changing lifestyles. Looking to the future, we’re likely to see houses become even more flexible and adaptive – attuned to our needs. Automation and artificial intelligence are already the norm on the road and at work – now, our humble abodes are catching up. Here are just some of the ways in which our homes are evolving and will continue to evolve in years to come.  

Design

Homes of the future may look a little different to the mechanical behemoths depicted in retro sci-fi movies, but they’ll be smarter and more agile than our ancestors ever could have imagined. Gerald Matthews is the Managing Director and Senior Architect at Adelaide-based, Matthews Architects. In a world increasingly saturated with technology, he believes modern architecture is about creating a buffer between our fast-paced, plugged in work lives and our inner lives at home. Increasingly so, our homes are becoming our sanctuaries. “The biggest psychological trend that’s being expressed in the design of homes has everything to do with the ability to change pace,” Gerald says. “When you’re in work mode, everything happens fast and there’s never enough time. When you come home, you think ‘I need to re-center, I need to reconnect and be with my family’.   “The space you’re in will have a huge impact on whether you succeed in that transition or not. You need a buffer space that allows you to change gears – the creation of those in homes is so important. “It takes effort to shift from one intense train of thought to a state of being relaxed. But all of that is very much expressed in the design of modern homes,” he adds. “Currently, we could quite easily be building transforming, robotic homes,” Gerald explains. The reason we’re not is less about cost and more about not wanting complexity. “In a way, what we want now is simplicity,” he says. “Everyone who’s grown up in a technological age, being fascinated by what you can achieve with technology, is also ingrained with a deep understanding of how easily technology goes wrong. If it can work, it can stop working too.” Maximising the benefits of technology will help us create sanctuaries where simplicity reigns, but it will need to be 100% reliable.  

Power

So that begs the question, what technology is worth our time and investment? Today, we rely on electricity for most day-to-day tasks, and that probably won’t change any time soon. What’s different though, is we’re now exploring renewable sources that don’t require the use of harmful fossil fuels. One of the most obvious places to harness power from is the sun, with many homeowners investing in solar and battery storage. In fact, solar panels blanket more than 304,000 South Aussie homes, already. But how exactly do they work? RAA Solar Expert Kerry Bowles explains. “A solar system uses solar panels to convert sunlight into direct current (DC) electricity, which is then converted by an inverter to alternating current (AC) electricity, for use in the home.   “A home battery storage system allows you to use stored solar energy when the sun isn’t shining, so it’s a great option if you use the bulk of your energy at night,” Kerry says. Solar panels and battery storage can slash your power bills, drastically reduce greenhouse gas emissions and eventually save you more money than the cost of installation. Based on our sums, a household using an average of 15kWh of electricity per day with a 6.6kW solar system installed, will spend about $1700 less on energy bills per year. In this case, the solar system will pay for itself in 3 to 3-and-a-half years. Peek into the garage of the home of the future, and you’re likely to find yourself face-to-bonnet with an electric vehicle (EV). According to an RAA survey conducted last year, more than 40% of South Australian motorists would consider buying an EV as their next car. Many of these prospective EV owners were driven by a desire to reduce pollution – most notably, greenhouse gas emissions.   Depending on battery size, it takes an EV at least 18 hours to fully charge from a regular home power socket. Owners can fork out for a Level 2, 240-volt wall-mounted charger which will fully charge an EV in less than half that time. For part charges, they’re even faster. You can even use solar power to charge an electric vehicle. If you have a solar and/or battery system installed, simply plug your car in at home, while the sun is shining. If the amount of solar electricity being generated is greater than the amount used to charge your car, you won’t be using any electricity from the grid. Recharging might be easy at home, but what about out on the open road? Well, there are currently more than 40 EV charging stations in Adelaide and soon to be more as the SA Government’s EV charging infrastructure grant fund kicks in. There are currently 2 Chargefox ultra-rapid chargers in regional SA – in Murray Bridge and Keith. These can power-up an EV in as little as 15 minutes. RAA, along with interstate mobility clubs, is lobbying the government to invest in more fast-charging stations, especially in rural areas. This, in turn, will encourage more motorists to invest in electric vehicles in the future.