Only 6% of UK population know what a ‘smart home’ is

Lots of news at the entry level end of the market recently with news from Alexa and Google Hardwire making news too, a new survey claims that the British public is far from ready to embrace smart home technology.

The research is by MoneySuperMarket and so the more cynical amongst readers may suspect the findings are the thinly veiled excuse to try and flog some more home insurance as some are predicting more connected, better protected homes could reduce insurance against theft, damage and so on. However, there are a few findings that are worth noting.

According to the research, whilst 77% had heard of the ‘connected home’, only 6% claimed to know a lot about smart home technology and a whopping 76% of those surveyed are worried about potential risks including hacking and unapproved data collection. So, opportunities may exist for providing better more pro levels of security to the wider public that they get from the free ‘boxes’ most ISP provide, but clearly awareness of the smart home sector is still low.

Other concerns include the technology being hacked by criminals (51%), being made unusable by a virus (43%) and recording without the user’s knowledge (42%).

The most popular gadget was a smart TV, with 30% of Brits owning one, followed by a smart energy meter (16%).

However, when asked what smart home gadget they would like to see invented, Brits were both practical and imaginative. Answers ranged from self-cleaning ovens (29%), self-emptying bins (11%) and self-pouring wine fridges (5%), to smart dog walkers and self-emptying dishwashers. More outlandish suggestions included auto-spray devices that would deal with cold callers and robot dogs with the ability to do chores.

Despite public concern, MoneySuperMarket argues the benefits of investing in smart home technology are likely to outweigh the fears, with 58% saying they would buy a smart device if helped them save money on their home insurance.

To help promote the benefits, MoneySuperMarket has launched its Connected Homes Hub, an on-line resource to explains what a smart home might involve to its customers.