DISRUPTING the export market - The Live It story - HunterNet

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DISRUPTING the export market - The Live It story - HunterNet
DISRUPTING the export market
The Live It story.
DISRUPTING the export market - The Live It story - HunterNet
Executive Summary

Twenty years ago, we thought of exports from the Hunter region in the narrow sense of selling
goods or services overseas. Live It disrupted this concept, and now we think of exports from the
Hunter region as the spreading of ideas or beliefs to another country.

Live It successfully influenced government strategy to create sustainable smart home
integrated communities through Government policy and incentive to ensure freedom for quality
of life.

A key partnership was formed with the Hunter Development Corporation though an alignment of
goals, which enabled Live It’s dream to come to life.

The Live It initiative has meant that the Hunter region is now a global benchmark in the export
market, with regions around the world wanting to learn how to implement what Live It did.

This report steps out:

          Who Live It are and what they do,
          Who the Hunter Development Corporation is, and how their goals aligned to Live It’s,
          What the Live It smart home concept entails,
          A timeline (2017 – 2037) describing how Live It achieved their goals, and
          The impact it had on the Hunter region.
DISRUPTING the export market - The Live It story - HunterNet
Contents
Executive Summary ............................................................................................................................ 2
Introduction ......................................................................................................................................... 4
About Live It .......................................................................................................................................... 5
Meet the Team: ....................................................................................................................................................................................... 6
A Key Partnership ............................................................................................................................... 7
About the Hunter Development Corporation ............................................................................................................................ 7
How the Goals Aligned ........................................................................................................................................................................ 7
The Live It Smart Home ....................................................................................................................... 8
Solar.............................................................................................................................................................................................................. 9
Battery power storage.......................................................................................................................................................................... 9
Water storage tanks............................................................................................................................................................................10
Product and Installation Cost .........................................................................................................................................................11
Benefits of Solar Power & Battery Storage .............................................................................................................................12
Benefits of Recycled Water.............................................................................................................................................................12
Timeline: From Dumb to Smart Homes – How we did it ..................................................................13
2017-2021 ................................................................................................................................................................................................13
Key Implementation Assumptions ...............................................................................................................................................14
2022-2027 ................................................................................................................................................................................................15
2028-2032 ................................................................................................................................................................................................17
2033-2037 ................................................................................................................................................................................................18
The Impact ..........................................................................................................................................19
Conclusion ..........................................................................................................................................21
References ..........................................................................................................................................22
Appendix .............................................................................................................................................24
DISRUPTING the export market - The Live It story - HunterNet
Introduction

Let's start this story at the beginning. Back in 2017, the Hunter region was a different place. The
population stood at 645,000 people, with 279,000 dwellings in the region. Exports were thought
of in the narrow sense of sending goods or services to another country for sale, and most of
those exports from the Hunter region were highly industrious or tourism based. It was a world
where we feared robots taking our jobs. We were a throw-away society wasting resources like
food, energy, and water. Living in this world, a group of up-and-coming leaders were destined to
meet at the HunterNet Future Leaders program. They had some things in common: at similar
stages of their lives, settling down, and buying, building and renovating their own homes.

Through this commonality, the group shared similar frustrations, experiencing inefficiencies in
several areas. They were keen to connect their homes to solar and renewable energy, but it
was not affordable. Smart technology was clunky, making it hard to connect their ducted air-
conditioning to the router, and their wireless speakers to the TV. Money was being wasted on
the high cost of utilities (nobody needed a $1200 electricity bill). Food was being wasted. Time
was even being wasted! They had the Future Leaders course to focus on, work, home life, and
then the domestic jobs (no time to paint the house or build the retaining wall). Everyone was so
busy! They barely have time to work on our group assignment, let alone the freedom to achieve
what they wanted to!

So, together they had a dream. They wanted to create a life that gave them the freedom to
focus on the things that matter. They imagined a future where not only everything in the home is
connected, and automated – leaving humans with the freedom to focus on what matters to
them, but a future where we could benefit from this as a collective.

And here we are today. It's 2037 and we live in a world where the Hunter region is connected,
smart and sustainable. 70%of all houses and apartments have been built or retrofitted to the
benefit of not only the person living in/owning the house, but to the community they live in.
Houses and apartments essentially run “off the grid” in terms of water and energy supply. The
Hunter region is the benchmark for an integrated, smart and sustainable community. Other
cities around the world want to replicate what Live It have created for the Hunter, and Live It
are exporting their idea to the global community.

How did Live It get us here? This is their story.
DISRUPTING the export market - The Live It story - HunterNet
About Live It

Live It exists to implement sustainable smart home integrated communities through
Government policy and incentive to ensure freedom for quality of life. They value processes that
are good for the earth, good for each other, and creating freedom in life. Live It has a bold aim
to export the process for the benefit of the global community for future populations. They do not
want to keep this a secret, and strongly believe that other cities around the world can achieve
what they have achieved for the Hunter region.

Live It is not a tech company, and they are not pretending to be either. What Live It do is set up
homes (retrofitting existing homes and setting standards for new homes) in a way that makes it
cost efficient, energy efficient, water efficient and sustainable. This mindset naturally makes it
extremely compatible with smart technologies. If the home is set up in the right way, the people
living in the spaces can make it their own with their choice of smart devices. The point is to
create a sustainable city that captures its own energy and water, reducing the cost to both our
bank accounts and the environment. Live It aims to reduce, reuse, recycle and revive the way
we think about and use our key resources.

Live It are an advisory group that works with local and state government bodies such as
councils and development corporations to design and implement smart home preparation
strategies. It is about setting the standard for the regions to create a community of sustainable
and energy efficient homes that can operate “off the grid” and not rely on public infrastructure
such as water and energy supply.
DISRUPTING the export market - The Live It story - HunterNet
Meet the Team:
Live It was founded by its five Directors. They were budding leaders in the Hunter region back
in 2017. They had a dream to make their own homes cost and energy efficient, and sustainable
for the future.

              Marty Corrigan
              Marty has a background in heavy industry leadership and beef cattle production. His
              motivation for starting Live It was after he and his Fiancé bought their first house in 2017.
              The house was built in 1901 and after receiving their first power bill, they decided there
              was a need to modernise the house to reduce their power and water bills, and improve the
              efficiency of the house. Now, Marty’s focus at Live It is to make the Smart Home a reality
              for all Australians giving more time and money to do the things they love!

              Adam Smith
              Adam has a background in civil engineering and construction. His motivation for starting
              Live It developed while he was building a new home in 2016 and had the desire to be self
              sufficient through solar energy and water harvesting but could not find the support to
              implement this. Now his focus and passion at Live It is to ensure that all home owners are
              able to save on power and water costs while returning the environment and economic
              benefits to communities.

              Tristan Rossiter
              Tristan has a background in traffic engineering on Newcastle’s roads and project
              management on the Hunters freight rail network. His motivation for starting Live It came
              from his passion for living and advancing Newcastle and the Hunter’s economy and his
              need for more efficient ways to provide for his growing family. Now his focus at Live It is
              making sure everyone has access to affordable sustainable solutions, and ensuring that
              those solutions are the latest and most advanced on the market.

              Caitlin McMahon
              Caitlin has a background in strategic human resources and interior design and a passion
              for connecting people to purpose. Her motivation for starting Live It was that she was
              renovating and frustrated with the cost of implementing sustainable solutions and the
              clunky smart systems available. Now her focus at Live It is about employee and
              community engagement, and spreading the Live It philosophy to the rest of the world so
              other cities can benefit.

              Aaron Cook
              Aaron has a background in heavy industry construction and project management in ship
              building and mining services. His motivation for starting Live It was the strain of expensive
              power and water bills on top of the cost of putting food on the table for his young family,
              realising that sustainable living and cost savings are essential for future generations. Now
              his focus is on implementing and sharing sustainable and efficient housing for all
              Australians and globally to allow the time for people to enjoy life.
DISRUPTING the export market - The Live It story - HunterNet
A Key Partnership
A key partnership that Live It formed early on was with the Hunter Development Corporation.
They shared a similar vision for the future of the Hunter region. This relationship formed the
foundation of the Live It dream coming to life.

About the Hunter Development Corporation
The Hunter Development Corporation formed to help facilitate economic growth in the region
consistent with the Hunter Regional Plan 2036, a 20-year blueprint for the future of the Hunter.
Their vision was to create a leading regional economy in Australia, with a vibrant metropolitan
city at its heart, delivered through four goals:
   a leading regional economy in Australia
   a biodiversity-rich natural environment
   thriving communities
   greater housing choice and jobs.

The Hunter Development Corporation brought
together nine local government areas to work
collectively on building a vision for the Greater
Hunter Region. These nine LGAs included
Port Stephens, Newcastle, Lake Macquarie,
Cessnock, Maitland, Dungog, Mid Coast, Singleton, Muswellbrook and the Upper Hunter.

How the Goals Aligned
The Hunter Development Corporation was a key driver in the development and renewal
required to meet this growing demand for jobs and homes. The Corporation helped to facilitate
development by the private sector on key State land holdings under its control to ensure
certainty of investment to the private sector and maximum value for the people of the region and
the State. These goals aligned perfectly with what Live It was trying to achieve in four significant
ways.

Firstly, as part of becoming a leading regional economy in Australia, the Hunter
Development Corporation had a priority to diversify and grow the energy sector by working with
stakeholders, including councils, communities and industry, to identify and support opportunities
for smaller-scale renewable energy initiatives such as those using bioenergy or waste coalmine
DISRUPTING the export market - The Live It story - HunterNet
methane. They also aimed to enable opportunities for renewable energy industries by reviewing
local planning controls, and to promote new opportunities arising from the closure of coal-fired
power stations that enable long term sustainable economic and employment growth in the
region.

Secondly, the Hunter Development Corporation also aimed to have a biodiversity rich natural
environment by planning for the security of the region’s town water supply and by incorporating
water-sensitive design into development that is likely to have an adverse impact on coastal
water catchments, water quality and flows.

As part of the thriving communities goal, the Hunter Development Corporation aimed to
create healthy built environments through good design to enrich the quality of life and wellbeing
of residents.

The last goal of the Hunter Development Corporation was about greater housing choice and
jobs through promoting development that respects the landscape attributes and the character of
the area, promoting small-scale renewal in existing urban areas, and providing greater housing
choice by delivering diverse housing in infill and greenfield locations and new housing
opportunities in urban areas to maximise the use of existing infrastructure.

These goals aligned perfectly to the vision of Live It to implement sustainable smart home
integrated communities through Government policy and incentive to ensure freedom for quality
of life.

The Live It Smart Home

So what does a Live It Smart Home actually look like? Live It think broader than a home
equipped with lighting, heating, and electronic devices that can be controlled remotely by smart
phone or computer. It’s about setting the house up to have sustainable and efficient water and
energy. The benefit is that the house then has the capability to become an internet of things in a
sustainable and efficient manner. The key components of the Live It Smart Home includes the
following:

    1. State of the art solar panel system,
    2. In home battery storage hub, and
    3. Reusable water storage tanks for rain and grey water.
DISRUPTING the export market - The Live It story - HunterNet
Solar
The average Australian home uses 25KWh of electricity per day, this equates to an electricity
bill on average of $2,070.00/annum. Prices have been rising by 4% on average since 2017. The
average household just cannot afford to be subject to this rising trend of electricity prices.

Live It procured the most competitive prices for the most advanced solar panel technology for
the last two decades. This has been achieved via their volume of buying power and guarantee
of business to solar panel manufactures. Rather than end users purchasing from manufacturers
directly Live It have done the leg work for them.

Live It understands that solar is not a one size fits all product. Every household has different
needs, therefore Live It have completed 3 packages to suite, 2, 3, and 4+ bedroom homes.
Therefore Live It have based their grants on 5, 7, and 9KWh solar panel systems.

Battery power storage
The following 10 companies lead the market when it comes to battery storage technology.
                        1.   Tesla,                 2. SimpliPhi,
                        3.   Mercedes,              4. Sonnen,
                        5.   LG,                    6. BMW,
                        7.   Sunverge,              8. Nissan, and
                        9.   Panasonic,             10. Powervault,

At Live It the aim was not to limit the market to one supplier, rather to source bulk batteries via
tender for Hunter residents at the best prices.

Live It recognised the fast emerging nature of the technology early on in the project and
ensured their tenders remained short enough to obtain the latest in battery storage technology.
DISRUPTING the export market - The Live It story - HunterNet
There are two main ways battery power storage saves residents money. Firstly, and obviously,
by capturing energy through solar panels from the sun. Secondly, and less obviously, is via tariff
arbitrage to charge your battery during off peak energy periods (e.g. between 11pm – 7am).

There are three options for residents across the Hunter dependent on their home requirements
being 3KWh, 8KWh, and 13KWh storage cells.

Water storage tanks
Australians are the biggest water consumers per capita on earth, but have so few water
resources and have historically relied heavily on public water distribution. To combat this issue,
Live It make reusable water storage a key component of the smart sustainable city scheme.

There are a plethora of options on the market to achieve a simple yet effective retro-fit tank
installation. Once again Live It accomplished success by not pigeon-holing the market and
ensuring multiple organisations
compete at tender stage.

Storage options include:
      In ground tanks,
      Above Ground Tanks,
      Under deck tanks, and
      Bladder tanks

The Building Sustainability Index, or BASIX, originally required 4000L capacity for water
storage. Live It increased this standard to range between 4000L and 10,000L.
Pumps allow the captured rain water to be reused for toilets, dishwashers, washing machines
and potable water. Potable water is supplied to the household via a three stage filter and
ultraviolet filtration and purification system. Captured grey water can be used for gardens and
washing the car etc.

Product and Installation Cost
Live It understand that sustainable living is not a one size fits all product. That’s why Live It split
the Hunters needs into three categories with the following sized systems to suit individual
household needs across The Hunter.

                           Panels Size      Battery Size     Water Tank
       Home Size           (KWh)            (KWh)            Size (L)        Package Cost ($)
       2 Bedroom                  5                3               4000       $        12,250.00
       3 Bedroom                  7                8               6000       $        20,500.00
       4 Bedroom +                9               13              10000       $        30,250.00

                     Above - Live It sustainable power and water package sizes and cost

                            Above - itemised cost breakdown for standard homes

All Live It packages are compatible with the latest smart home control hubs, creating an
environment for the internet of things (IOT). From the very commencement of the program in
2017 consumers have been connecting their own technology at their own expense to make their
homes even more efficient and save time, money, energy and water.
Benefits of Solar Power & Battery Storage
A standard three bedroom home spent approximately $2,070.00/yr on electricity bills between
2022 – 2037. The savings from the Live It Solar system reduced the average cost per year to
households in the Hunter by two thirds. Of course, this is accounting for losses in the solar
system and the ever present possibility that multiple days of poor weather could impact on the
batteries charge/drain cycles. However, as technology of battery power storage advanced so
did the savings. This reduced the average annual household electricity bill by the following
average amount:

         Energy / day                               Cost of                          Savings after solar
                         Energy/year (Kwh)                          Cost/annum
            (Kwh)                                Energy/Kwh                           and battery/yr
              25                  9125         $            0.23 $         2,070.77 $           1,380.52
      *Based on average electricity consumption of 25Kwh/day
      * Based on average energy prices between 222 - 2037 adjusted for 4% inflation

                       Above - Electricity savings for average households per annum 2022 - 2037

Benefits of Recycled Water
A standard three bedroom home in the Hunter spent an average of $458.00 annually on their
water usage between 2022 and 2037. Rain water tanks cut the average household water
consumption by 30% per year. This saved up to $207.00/yr for Hunter residents. Furthermore,
once installed this is ongoing and essentially a guaranteed saving. Providing it rains of course.

                                                         Useable      Utilsed
           Average Household                kL/day                                      $/kL              $/yr             Savings/yr
                                                          days         kL/yr

       Total water useage (Mains
                                              0.48          365          175       $         2.62    $      458.51         $      -
                Supply)
       Recycled water with 4000L
                                              0.24          272          65        $         2.62    $      287.67         $   170.84
                 tank
       Recycled water with 6000L
                                              0.24          297          71        $         2.62    $      271.97         $   186.54
                 tank
      Recycled water with 10000L
                                              0.24          330          79        $         2.62    $      251.24         $   207.27
                 tank
      * $/kl based on 2017 Hunter Water rate of $2.27/kL with constant inflation of 2% since installs in 2022 until 2037
      * Average water useage based on Hunter Water average household statistics
      *Assume 50% water suitable from tank water for washing machines, gardens etc.

                           Above - Water Savings average households per annum 2022 - 2037

An added bonus to the scheme is that for the last 20 years Hunter Residents have had the
greenest gardens in the state, even in the hottest summer months. This also benefited sporting
clubs, and public spaces whom via the councils own initiatives jumped on board the recycled
water train and have been providing lush green sporting fields and public spaces ever since.

Timeline: From dumb to Smart Homes – How we did it

2017-2021
Smart Home implementation was achieved at a personal level by the Live It members.
Motivated by house renovations, building new houses and high power prices. In parallel with
their personal journeys, the Newcastle City Council’s (NCC) Newcastle Smart City Strategy was
in full swing aiming to be completed by 2021. Live It was further inspired by how Smart Homes
on a large scale not only complement this strategy but enhance it. Live It identified the
opportunity to partner with the Hunter Development Corporation. The HDC already had in place
plans from 2016 onwards to transform the Hunter.

Live It had seen the positive impacts of Smart
Homes on their own lives and had the aim to
accelerate the implementation of Smart Home
hardware throughout the Hunter Region. Smart
Homes provide the owner with more money and
more time to do the things they love. The key to
widespread implementation was the aligning of the
10 Hunter Region LGA’s. Live It had the inspiration
to implement a Levy at a local level to create a fund
to subsidize mass Smart Home implementation. By
2022 there were approximately 305,000 dwellings in
the Hunter Region. Live It’s goal was simple, align
the 10 Hunter LGA’s to implement the “Hunter
Sustainable Residential Levy” to generate funds to
subsidize Smart Home implementation for all new
dwellings, and 60% of existing dwellings by 2037.
Overall implementation target of 70% of all Hunter
Region dwellings Smart Homes by 2037.
The Levy was to commence in 2021, with the initial subsidies to be distributed in 2022 to all new
and a portion of existing dwellings. At the end of 2021 all dwellings were charged the Levy of
$300 as part of their rates.

The Levy was collected from all dwellings in the Hunter Region from 2021 until now. From 2022
onwards, all new buildings were required to receive the new dwelling subsidy and implement
Smart Home Technology. Existing dwellings could then apply for the subsidy from 2022
onwards. Applications would be assessed based on scale of system to be implemented, benefit
to the electricity grid, compatibility with surrounding neighbourhoods and ease of
implementation.

                                                             2021                 2022
               Hunter Population                           694200               706500
               Dwellings                                   300282               305602
               Levy Collected Hunter Wide           $90,084,558.14       $93,514,311.63
               New Dwellings Subsidized                                           5320
               New Dwelling Subsidy                                           $5,000.00
               Existing Dwellings Subsidized                                      6348
               Existing Dwelling Subsidy                                     $10,000.00
               Total Subsidy Spent                                       $90,084,558.14

The Live It partnership with the Hunter Development Corporation saw over $90 million collected
from ratepayers in the 2021 then spent throughout 2022. This spend throughout the Hunter
region provided the catalyst for the establishment of new small businesses and existing
businesses thrived. Those involved in the sale, supply, manufacture and installation of Smart
Home hardware were the primary benefactors but the benefits flowed throughout.

Key Implementation Assumptions
Live It in partnership with the HDC implemented the “Hunter Sustainable Residential Levy” to
fund large scale Smart Home implementation. The following parameters were formulated based
on the best information at the time, and allowed for 100% implementation among new homes
built. 60% implementation for the retro fit of existing homes for 2022 onwards. Please refer to
schedule 2 for a full table of how the implementation works.

      Initial subsidy of $300 applied to all dwellings across the Hunter Region.
      Initial Retro Fit subsidy for existing dwellings of $10,000.00.
      Initial subsidy for new dwellings $5000, and remains at 50% of the retro fit subsidy until
       2037.
   Flat inflation rate of 2% applied to the levy and the subsidy value for the whole period of
      the scheme.
     The subsidy reduces by 4% per year for the duration, accounting for improvements in
      technology, increased competition, economies of scale and reduction in costs of Smart
      Home Implementation.
     Population growth is linear from 2017 – 2037.
     People per dwelling remains a constant 2.31 from 2017 – 2037.
     New dwelling construction rate is constant from 2017 – 2037. Once the scheme is
      introduced, 100% of new dwellings from 2022 onwards receive the subsidy.
     All revenue collected by the Levy is distributed the year after.
     The scheme appears cost neutral on paper, the Live It admin/implementation costs are
      covered by the interest earned by the Levy. It will be held in a bank account for on
      average 1 year. With a return of investment of 5%, the funds available to administer
      would be $4.5million in 2022.

2022-2027
The first 5 years of the Levy saw significant public opposition. Liddell Power Station commenced
decommissioning in 2022 after the federal government failed to convince AGL to keep the
2000Mwh facility open. This placed significant pressure on the state’s power supply. Blackouts
became a common occurrence through periods of extreme heat in summer. Local heavy
industry who consume high amounts of power, formed an alliance and shut down during these
periods in an attempt to minimise residential impacts. However, the impacts were widespread
and dominated the media. With rising power prices, pressure on the family budget to cover the
“Hunter Sustainable Residential Levy” became a common source of conversation.

This negative press eventually started to yield positive results for Live It. Citizens of the Hunter
who had retro fit their dwellings with Smart Home hardware and technology or had built a new
home were experiencing the benefits of the Live It vision. Through solar power generation and
battery storage they had mostly eliminated their power bills, and in some case making money
off the rest of the grid. They had reduced water bills, food wastage and garbage collection costs
for their homes. They had more money and more time to do the things they love.
The first five years of implementation can be summarised below:

                                        2022     2023     2024     2025     2026     2027
         Hunter Population             706500   718800   731100   743400   755700   768000
         Total Dwellings               305602   310923   316243   321564   326884   332205
         Total Smart Homes              11669    23871    36636    49993    63975    78613
         Levy                            $306     $312     $318     $325     $331     $338
         Cumulative Spent (Millions)      $90     $183     $280     $381     $485     $594

By the end of 2027, over 78,000 Hunter dwellings had received the subsidy and are Smart
Homes. Nearly $600 million in subsidies have been distributed. Nearly 24% of all dwellings are
now off the grid through solar electricity generation and storage capability. Competition to be
granted the subsidy to retro fit homes around the Hunter is increasing. Residents are now
striving to install larger and more efficient systems. The range of products available for more
effective home automation has become vast.

The Newcastle Smart City Strategy has been implemented. As Smart Home numbers increase
across the Hunter, people start to see how the two living concepts not only complement each
other but make the Hunter a smart and more liveable region. Live It has attracted interest from
other regions within Australia to explore how they can accelerate Smart Homes on a large
scale.
2028-2032
By the end of 2032, 45% of all dwellings in the Hunter Valley were Smart Homes. The following
is a comparison between 2027 and 2032 illustrates the progress Live It made throughout the
implementation:

                                                         2027           2032
                  Hunter Population                    768000         829500
                  Dwellings                            332205         358807
                  Levy                                   $338           $373
                  Levy Collected Hunter Wide      $108,271,966   $129,269,425
                  New Dwellings Subsidy                 $4,502         $4,085
                  New Dwellings Subsidised               5320           5320
                  Existing Dwelling Subsidy             $9,039         $8,170
                  Existing Dwellings Subsidized          9318          13161
                  Total Smart Homes since 2022          78613         162940
                  Total as %                              24%            45%

The Hunter population is nearly 830,000 in 2032. With 45% of dwellings off the grid, pressure
on electricity supply has eased. 15 years of technology advancements since the inception of
Live It has pushed the overall cost of Smart Home transition down. Hence the reduction in the
subsidy down to nearly $8000.

The Live It Smart Home dream, “Home is where the smart is” is now having a significant impact
on Newcastle as a Smart City on the world wide stage. Smart living was targeted in the 2017
NCC Smart City strategy (see appendix for strategy objectives). With nearly half of all dwellings
now fully embracing home automation and “off the grid” from an electricity demand perspective.
Newcastle and the Hunter as a whole is starting to attract attention from around the world. This
is leading to increased traffic through the Newcastle airport, increase in cruise ships electing to
stop in the Hunter and greater domestic tourism from Sydney and Melbourne. The Smart Home
installation industry is booming, it is worth nearly $400 million annually to the Hunter region. The
people of the Hunter have more disposable income and more time to innovate and explore
possibilities.

2033-2037
By 2037, Live It had achieved its objectives. The Hunter region had 70% of all dwelling
implemented Smart Home Technology.

Nearly $2 billion in subsidies had been distributed, and around $6 billion has been spent locally
over the past 15 years. Smart Living through Smart Homes is now fully integrated into NCC
Smart City. Maitland, Port Stephens and Lake Macquarie have joined Newcastle in
implementing a wider Smart City program. The past five years have seen Smart mobility take off
among these cities, driverless cars are common place. The cost of Smart Home Implementation
has reduced significantly, driverless electric cars now are fully energised by household solar
and battery storage systems.
Reviewing the table below, the Live It journey is evident. “Home is where the Smart is”, has
become the blood pumping through the veins of the Hunter. The Levy can be seen to increase
gradually over the 15 years. However, by 2037 it is well accepted and received by residents of
the Hunter as the positive outcomes start to flow through.
                                           2022       2027      2032        2037
                Hunter Population        706500     768000    829500      891000
                Dwellings                305602     332205    358807      385409
                Smart Homes               11669      78613    162940      269717
                % Smart Homes               4%        24%       45%         70%
                Levy                       $306       $338      $373        $412

The Impact

What has been the impact of the Live It smart home initiative for the Hunter region?

      70% of all dwellings in the Hunter region have implemented smart home technology
       through the Live It initiative,
      The Hunter region is now the benchmark in sustainable water and power consumption,
      New job creation through an increase in housing development,
      Reduced reliance, and therefore cost and maintenance on the power, stormwater, and
       sewer networks,
      Reduced the burden on the Hunter’s dams and water supply infrastructure,
   Reduced the inundation of stormwater runoff into the Hunter’s drainage network,
      Less stormwater runoff meant:
             Reduced risk of flooding in significant rainfall events,
             Lowered cost of maintenance on drainage pipes and channels, and
             Less polluted stormwater entering waterways and the ocean.
      Allowed dams to fill and remain full for longer,
      Reduced the risk to the Hunter’s water supply,
      Reduced the need for expensive new dam infrastructure,
      Eliminated the need for water restrictions,
      Kept the Hunter’s green spaces green even during low rainfall periods,
      Provided a sustainable solution for future generations.

Regions from around Australia and the world are looking to the Hunter to see how all of this has
been achieved. This sharing of concept and strategy has put the Hunter region at the forefront
of world export. The Hunter is a region where people increasingly want to live, and hence in
parallel with this, other places want to mimic.
Conclusion

Twenty years ago, when we thought about exports in the Hunter region, people would think of the
ships coming and going through the Port of Newcastle. Exports were considered the selling of
goods or services overseas. Today, when we think about exports from the Hunter region, we
think about the concept of influencing government policy to set up smart homes to create a
sustainable city. Exports are considered in the broader sense of spreading or introducing ideas
and beliefs to another country.
Live It have succeeded in their mission to implement sustainable smart home integrated
communities through Government policy and incentive to ensure freedom for quality of life. They
have also disrupted the way we think about exports, and are on track to achieve their vision to
export the process for the benefit of the global community for future populations. They want to
spread their experience with as many people around the world as possible to share in the
benefits and create freedom for quality of life. After all, home is where the smart is.
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Appendix
1. Newcastle Smart City Strategy Objectives
2. Smart Home Implementation Model
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