If you were to plan what your home life would be like in the future, what would be on your wishlist?
asserted
what → plan → wishlist
Or would you settle for somewhere quiet to take meetings when you're working from home?
Researchers from Monash University, over a period of three years, have sought to understand what we want from our homes in the years to come.
asserted
we → settle → years
The Foresights for Future Australian Home Life report included 49 participants from a range of backgrounds across the country.
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report → include → country
"We're trying to understand how people will live in their homes, and what the implications will be for how they use energy," lead researcher Professor Sarah Pink says.
asserted
Pink → try → energy
Participants were combining office zones with other parts of their homes, scheduling work and childcare around each other.
asserted
Participants → combine → other
"They saw it as an opportunity often to do more than one thing at once," Professor Pink says.
asserted
Pink → see → thing
So what could this mean when people are building new houses in the future?
University of Sydney associate professor of building science Jungsoo Kim says new homes could include more adaptable rooms or zones that provide visual and acoustic separation when needed.
"As well as good daylight, ventilation, thermal comfort, and access to power," he says.
uncertain
he → mean → power
"Some people need visual and acoustic privacy for concentration, meetings, or confidential conversations, while others may work effectively in shared, open areas.
uncertain
others → need → areas
In smaller homes, flexible spaces that combine living and working functions may be more practical than a dedicated office.
uncertain
that → combine → office
"Movable screens, curtains, compact furniture, good storage, and task lighting can help create separation without requiring an additional room.
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screens → help → room
Working from home areas
Half of the households surveyed had one member working from home at least once a week.
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Half → work → home
Here is what some said about working from home.
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said → say → home
It's so much easier when you work from home.
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you → work → home
You don't have to worry about traffic being terrible to get you to work.
asserted
traffic → have → work
You don't have to worry about the train deciding to cancel …
asserted
train → have → ?
I also have a disability, so public transport's not viable for me a lot of the time.
asserted
transport → have → time
The flexibility … [of] being able to drop the kids off, pick the kids up if you need to duck out or be here for an electrician to do something in the other room you can be here.
asserted
you → drop → room
You don't have to reschedule your whole life to do that.
asserted
You → have → that
I can still keep working.
asserted
I → keep → ?
"You find people imagining their next home would have more space so that they could have a dedicated working-from-home room," Professor Pink says.
uncertain
Pink → find → room
But that doesn't necessarily have to mean bigger houses, Associate Professor Kim says.
"
asserted
Kim → have → houses
Instead, people may prioritise homes that use space more efficiently, with flexible areas or some spatial separation to support working alongside other household activities.
uncertain
that → prioritise → activities
"
'Bloody expensive' EVs
Australians' relationship to their homes and cars is changing, as the energy transition shifts how electricity is generated and delivered across the network, according to the researchers.
uncertain
electricity → change → researchers
An electric vehicle (EV) is being sold every 100 seconds in Australia and EVs are projected to make up almost one-quarter of all new car sales this year, according to the Electric Vehicle Council.
uncertain
EVs → sell → Council
But one-quarter of the survey participants felt they couldn't afford the costs associated with owning EVs from purchasing to maintaining and installing chargers.
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they → feel → chargers
Only 4 per cent of those earning less than $40,000 a year said they were currently using or intended to own an EV, compared to 22 per cent of people earning more than $241,000 a year.
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they → earn → 241,000
It also found about one-third of households that owned or planned to purchase an EV or plug-in hybrid wanted affordable charging options, such as solar power or off-peak electricity tariffs.
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that → find → peak
Here is what some study participants said about EVs.
asserted
said → say → EVs
I think it's a great idea but they're so bloody expensive.
asserted
they → think → ?
Like who can afford to buy a brand new electric car?
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who → afford → car
I'd love to but financially, it's just out of reach.
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it → love → reach
We would love to charge at home.
asserted
We → love → home
We don't want to go outside and wait for hours.
asserted
We → want → hours
It's better to … if we have that, we'll get it charged at home.
asserted
it → have → home
I feel like saying Canberra is the Tesla town …
asserted
Canberra → feel → ?
People here may be able to afford electric cars, but I don't know, well, I can't, but how are people going to afford these new technologies?
Cheaper access to energy transitions
uncertain
people → afford → transitions
One in three homes in Australia has rooftop solar, with about 300,000 systems being installed annually.
asserted
systems → have → solar
The survey found adoption increased with income, with households earning under $80,000 more likely to report having no intention of installing solar.
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households → find → solar
It also found some participants felt excluded from the energy transition, such as the purchase of EVs and solar infrastructure, because these purchases felt targeted to more affluent groups.
asserted
purchases → find → groups
"The cost-of-living crisis is an important dimension [in the energy transition]," Professor Pink says.
"One of our participants imagined themselves possibly living in their car in the future, [rather than] being able to purchase an electric vehicle."
uncertain
themselves → say → vehicle
The Aporia
