[NEW RESEARCH] 73% of Britons Opt for Smarter Homes

According to new research conducted by OnePoll on behalf of E.ON in April 2017, 73% of British homeowners interviewed are adopting smarter solutions for their homes.

What are smart homes?

Generally speaking, a smart home is one equipped with appliances which can communicate with one another or be controlled remotely.

“A smart home, or smart house, is a home that incorporates advanced automation systems to provide the inhabitants with sophisticated monitoring and control over the building’s functions.”

A smart home can grant you more sophisticated control over:

• Lighting
• Temperature
• Multimedia
• Security
• Window and door operations
• Cleaning

What are smart solutions?

Smart homes are equipped with smart solutions. Arguably, the premise is to streamline the management of your home through technology.

It can be seen as a more hands-free, flexible approach to controlling your house. For example, smart thermostats can be turned on from your mobile whilst you’re on your way home from work.

Smart solutions are often used as a means to save both time and money, in addition to encouraging energy efficiency.

In the world of PropTech, smart solutions fit under the umbrella term “The Internet of Things.” IoT, as it has come to be known, simply involves connecting devices to the internet, “letting them talk to us, applications, and each other.”

As a result, technology is becoming increasingly aware of its own surroundings; smart solutions have the ability to provide “real-time feedback”.

Trending, and talking back

The trend has experienced a huge surge in recent years, with controlling panels such as Amazon Echo and Google Home dominating the market.

Smart solutions are often controlled by these types of governing bodies. Both are famously voice automated, and able to talk back.

Not-so-far-fetched sci-fi

Whilst smart homes are yet to fully mirror an episode of The Jetsons, we might be well on our way.

For example, some of the most futuristic smart solutions include:

• The automated vacuum cleaner (Roomba), the automated floor scrubber (Scooba) and the automated floor mopper (Braava)
• The automated iKettle, which can be remotely switched on from an app. iKettle can also adjust water temperatures depending on the type of tea you’re hoping to brew
• Self-healing concrete, which can fill its own cracks after rainwater activates certain bacteria to produce calcium carbonate

The new research, instructed by E.ON was conducted with 2,000 UK homeowners.

The data highlighted that:

• Over a quarter of those surveyed are yet to adopt smart solutions, with 21% admitting they felt uncomfortable with the technology
• 34% of individuals are already planning further updates
• When asked which items were becoming obsolete under smarter technologies, 52% responded with CD/DVD stands, 48% said photo albums, 34% said bookshelves and

Misunderstanding energy efficiency

Under the notion that smart solutions improve energy efficiency, E.ON’s research highlights that many Brits have shown an interest in solar power.

However, E.ON’s survey highlighted that there is a huge misconception of solar power. The data highlighted that:

• 17% of respondents mistakenly believed that solar panels only generate electricity when it’s sunny
• 11% wrongly believed that solar panels do not work in cold climates

Gavin Stokes, Head of Commercial Solutions at E.ON UK, noted,

“It’s really heartening that three quarters of households have already taken steps to make their homes smarter. But with a quarter of people saying they’re yet to take steps to make their homes more solutions-savvy, there’s still much we can do to help people realise the benefits a smarter lifestyle can bring. For example, we recently launched E.ON Solar and Storage – a solar and battery solution that’s available now for the four in ten people questioned who said they’d like to have this type of technology by 2020.”

By Jenna Kamal

All data was sourced from E.ON’s official press release (5^th July 2017), including that featured in the data visualisations.

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