EV safety facts and myths

Keynote speaker: Emma Sutcliffe, Founder/Director of EV FireSafe

Emma Sutcliffe provided a reality check to the contentious issue of electric vehicle (EV) battery fires. Funded by the Australian Department of Defence, her company researches incidents, consults on risks, trains responders, and assists in recovery.

The world’s only global database of EV battery fire incidents shows just 11 confirmed cases in Australia versus hundreds of fires from smaller lithium-ion devices such as e-bikes and power banks. The most common causes of EV fire include collisions, saltwater immersion, manufacturing faults and external fires. ‘Only 15% of fires occurred while charging,’ said Emma, who’s also an operational firefighter.

She highlighted the amount of misinformation online while emphasising the importance of well-designed EV charging stations. Emma has authored a 15-point fire safety plan, developed with the Australian Building Codes Board, that’s considered a global best-practice model.

Electrifying the home

Keynote speaker: Chris Kerr, CEO of Clipsal Australia

Clipsal’s Chris Kerr gave a passionate presentation about accelerating the shift from fossil fuels to home electrification. He believes Australia’s main tasks are to reduce energy demand through efficiency and replace carbon-emitting power with renewables.

Households account for around 43 per cent of domestic emissions and rising energy prices are driving ‘bill shock’. Chris shared his own four-year journey installing an oversized solar system, electrifying all appliances, adding battery storage, and adopting an EV – slashing costs and increasing independence. 

He highlighted the potential of vehicle-to-grid technology, enabling EVs to power homes, and framed electrification’s benefits not just in terms of return on investment, but also as ‘return on comfort’ and ‘return on environment’.

‘Meaningful collaboration between manufacturers, electricians and builders will be key to making electrification simpler and more accessible,’ he said. 

Passive house performance

Keynote speaker: Nick Sowden, Owner/Operator of Sowden Building Solutions

Winner of the 2025 HIA Australian GreenSmart Professional award, Nick Sowden is a qualified builder who specialises in sustainable construction practices. At the forum, he showcased his award-winning EnerPHit Passive House renovation in Sydney’s inner west. In just five months, he transformed a leaky, mould-ridden semi into a high-performance, healthy home for his family.

The retrofit had clear priorities: airtightness, thermal bridge elimination, and continuous fresh air via a heat recovery ventilation (HRV) system. Sustainable and healthy materials were used, such as wood fibre insulation and low-VOC paints, and most of the demolition waste was recycled. Triple-glazed windows, a polished concrete slab, and carefully considered detailing keep indoor temperatures stable without active heating or cooling.

The result is lower energy bills, a mould-free environment and improved family health without sacrificing comfort and quietness. On resale, the home set a price-per-square-metre record in Balmain, reinforcing Sowden’s belief that sustainability can add market as well as lifestyle value.

Rethinking the great Australian dream

Keynote speaker: Lucinda Hartley, urban designer

Lucinda Hartley encouraged the audience to reconsider and update the definition of the ‘great Australian dream’. While home ownership still underpins stability and intergenerational wealth, she argues the ideal must evolve beyond the quarter-acre block in the world’s least-affordable housing market. 

Lucinda pointed to generational shifts and used social data from her company, Neighbourlytics, to show that neighbourhoods often function in ways for which they weren’t designed. The answer is more flexible housing types and people-centred design.

‘In the ’50s and ’60s, Australia built more homes per capita than we do today,’ she said. ‘We can do so again by embracing small improvements that really make a difference. Off-site construction, improved technology, faster approvals, and streamlined delivery can make a huge improvement.’ 

Future of technology

At the HIA Future Homes Forum, three industry leaders took part in a panel hosted by HIA’s Simon Croft. They explored how technology, data and smarter processes can transform the way we design, regulate and plan Australia’s built environment.

Kareen Riley-Takos, Chief of Engagement, Standards and International Relations at Standards Australia, outlined efforts to make the nation’s 5000-plus standards more accessible and useful. Removing paywalls is a great start but standards also need to be searchable, machine-readable and tailored to specific users – whether they’re onsite trades or engineers in the office. PDFs are being converted into structured, tagged XML that enables AI-assisted searching and integration into software. Partnerships with technology developers will embed standards directly into tools and apps, while AI will clarify ambiguous clauses and provide guidance. Kareen stressed that better standardisation reduces risk and gives innovators, such as those working with 3D printing, greater certainty.

Neil Savery, Managing Director of ICC Oceania, spoke on creating smarter, more adaptable codes. ‘While regulation must safeguard the public, it should also enable innovation,’ he said. AI-driven, machine-readable codes hold promise, but human oversight remains essential. With global urbanisation set to double floor space within 35 years, Neil detailed collaborations on carbon quantification standards, ESG data protocols, and a National Building Products Assurance Framework. He also highlighted the need to adapt codes for modern construction methods, focusing on manufacturing processes and circular economy principles.

Will Sullivan, Founder/CEO of PropCode, addressed the complexity of local planning rules. Unlike nationally developed building codes, planning controls come from thousands of different councils and agencies in a range of formats. In NSW, these rules span 27 million words. PropCode digitises and standardises them, using specialised AI to analyse sites and proposals. The platform gives instant clarity on what can be built, helping industry to respond quickly to changing policies and unlock new opportunities.

A shared call to action

The consistent message from HIA’s Future Homes Forum was that Australia’s housing future depends on collaboration, innovation and a willingness to rethink how we design, build and regulate homes. It showcased ideas and mapped a path forwards. The tools, technologies and policies are available now. The challenge is to scale them, connect them and ensure they work together to deliver homes that are affordable, sustainable and resilient for the decades ahead.

HIA’s Future Homes Forum also included the HIA Australian GreenSmart Awards, recognising those specialising in building and designing environmentally friendly homes. To learn more about the 2025 winners, visit 2025 HIA Australian GreenSmart Award Winners

To learn more about the GreenSmart program and responsible and sustainable housing, visit GreenSmart.

First published on 7 October 2025.