As Australia faces a projected shortfall of 375,000 homes and climbing energy bills, a new partnership is looking to offsite construction and Artificial Intelligence for a solution.
LG Electronics Australia and builder Greater Homes have announced a strategic partnership to pilot a new wave of AI-enabled modular housing. Designed to test whether homes can be built faster and run more efficiently from day one, the data-led pilot comes at a critical time for the Australian market, where construction costs remain roughly 40-45% above pre-pandemic levels.
Rather than retrofitting older homes with smart tech, the new partnership will see LG’s Home Energy Management System (HEMS) physically integrated into the homes during the factory construction stage.
By taking the building process offsite, Greater Homes aims to drastically reduce the traditional 12 to 18-month build time. Production cycles for these modular homes take just 10 to 16 weeks which is expected to cut timelines by up to 75%. Furthermore, the homes are being built with materials that have over 80% recyclable or reusable potential, targeting a 7-star NatHERS energy rating.
At the core of the project is AI-driven energy orchestration, managed by a smart home hub called Homey Pro. The system is designed specifically for Australian conditions, acting as a central brain that automatically optimises how the home uses appliances, solar power, battery storage, and the grid. When combined with solar and batteries, the system has shown the potential to reduce household electricity bills by up to 35%.
“We are seeing rapid adoption of rooftop solar and battery systems across Australia,” Bob Angley, Founding Partner at Greater Homes, told EFTM.
“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, echoed the sentiment, telling EFTM that the project aligned with the brand’s core vision: “When innovation and technology are not layered on top of life, but thoughtfully embedded into it, our purpose becomes a reality.”
Positioned as a data-led pilot rather than an immediate product launch, validation testing will take place across four target\ted regions in Australia throughout 2026. If successful, this integrated approach could offer a scalable blueprint for addressing both the national housing shortage and the ongoing cost-of-living pressures facing households.
