UK Home News
1 in 4 Brits willing to pay up to £10,000 more to buy a smart home
Adobe
Better weather, better viewings – it’s no wonder many of us plan to move home in the summer. But how many of us plan to move home because of smart tech?
A new survey from TalkTalk, the leading value for money connectivity provider, reveals that 16% of Brits would pay up to £10,000 for a smart tech enabled new home.
The survey of 2,007 UK adults found that a further 11% would pay 4-6k extra, whilst 10% would pay an extra £1000.
When asked which features we’d like to see as standard in these new build homes, the top results were:
71% of Brits are satisfied with the smart tech in their homes. One third of respondents – 33% have smart speakers or virtual assistants in their home, making this the most popular form of smart tech, followed by cameras at 17% and smart thermostats at 15%.
Convenience was revealed as our biggest motivator, with 31% of Brits wanting tech to give them an easier life. Security was the 2nd biggest motivator with 26%, and energy savings came next with 21%.
Smart thermostats: 31%
Pre-installed security cameras and systems: 27%
Smart lighting systems: 27%
Smart door locks: 26%
Self-cleaning toilets: 24%
When asked ‘which smart tech would we like to see improve over the next few years’ security came out on top with 19% - the number rising to 26% when women alone answered.
26% of respondents also said they wanted smart technology that enables a home to manage its own energy usage.
Brits are expecting some traditional devices to be phased out over the next decade – 27% said traditional thermostats will vanish, followed by traditional lighting (22%), conventional door locks (21%) and the standard refrigerators (19%).
31% want smart thermostats in all new homes, followed by pre-installed security cameras (27%), smart lighting (27%) smart locks (26%) and finally, self-cleaning toilets (24%).
Joanna Pilkington, TalkTalk’s Principal Research and Market Intelligence Manager, commented on these findings:
“The results here confirm that we’re witnessing a surge in smart home technology adoption across the UK, and that most of us are feeling satisfied by smart technology. As the reliability and speed of broadband improves nationwide, thanks to the increased availability of full fibre, consumers are finding themselves more confident than ever in integrating smart devices like smart thermostats, security systems and entertainment hubs in their daily lives. These trends are fueled further by growing understanding among consumers about the tangible benefits offered by smart technology, from cost saving measures, energy efficiency and enhanced security and convenience.”
What are Smart Devices?
A smart device is a device that connects to your Wi-Fi network to perform tasks at home. Sometimes they do it by themselves or with a prompt.
Virtual assistants like Amazon’s Echo Dot are a great example. You can speak to it and ask it to perform tasks, but it will also independently update you with messages too. There are even smart fridges you can control with your smartphone, Hive thermostats, smart doorbells, robot vacuums and more.
People love Smart Tech, especially Smart Speakers
We asked: How satisfied or unsatisfied are you with your current experience of smart home devices and smart home technology? Most people see smart tech as a good thing. In fact, 71% are satisfied with the smart tech in their homes. We also asked:Which smart home technologies do you currently have in your home?
The most popular devices were smart speakers and virtual assistants, with one third (33%) of respondents having them in their homes. A virtual assistant is helpful, easy to use and a good starting point to create your smart home.
But we’re not all smart technology lovers in the UK yet, with 37% having no smart devices at home at all. Convenience and security are top smart tech motivators.
Convenience makes sense. We’re talking Netflix through your smart TV, Spotify through Alexa and tweaking your heating on your Hive app on your phone. All connected by the same Wi-Fi network to underpin your smart home.
Key security measures enhanced by technology right now are smart doorbells and smart cameras. There’s also online security with home assistants to consider.
New homes equipped with smart tech
With around 5.7 million smart homes in the UK right now, it makes sense that new build homes are now built with smart tech at their heart. We asked: What smart home tech features would you like to see in new build homes? Priorities focus on both energy-efficiency and security, with our respondents looking for new homes with built-in smart tech including:
How can smart tech benefit us further?
Finally, we looked at where smart tech can do more to improve our lives and asked: What areas of your home would you most like to have more control over using smart home technology?
The top three things are:
Future predictions
We also asked which smart home predictions our respondents would like to see in the future.
Just over a quarter of respondents (26%) want smart technology that helps a home manage its own energy usage, moving the temperature up and down depending on the individual needs of the house.
Security is also a factor too, with 19% of respondents wanting advanced home safeguarding. This features smart locks, doorbells and cameras all running on an interconnected system and controlled by a single app.
Home Appliances set to be phased out
As smart tech becomes better and more popular, we’re likely to see traditional and more cumbersome home appliances phased out. Our respondents predict the following to go first:
Conclusion: Demand for Smart Tech is growing
We can’t deny it, smart technology is becoming more and more popular in homes right across the UK. And to get the best out of it, high-quality and superfast home broadband is essential to create an enhanced home network. That's why we're proud to offer the award-winning Amazon eero router, powered by Wi-Fi 6 technology, as standard with our fastest full fibre packages.
Together we can truly give your home the connection it deserves, at incredible TalkTalk value.
