Just 1% Of UK Households Can Currently Be Described As ‘Smart’

We’re always talking about the rise of the smarter home, but what is a smart home? Well, according to YouGov, a smart home is defined as a home which has multiple smart device categories, such as a smart speaker, smart lighting and a smart thermostat. Unfortunately, it doesn’t seem that the smart home is quite as popular as we might have been led to believe, with just 1% of UK homes currently capable of being described as ‘smart’.

While 11% of UK households currently boast a smart speaker, 6% have a smart thermostat, and 5% have smart lighting – only 1% of households boast all three. It doesn’t make for much better reading when looking at just two device categories either, with the different pair ups each having just 2% market penetration between them. That means only 2% of users with a smart speaker also have smart lights, or 2% of smart thermostat owners are able to control them through a smart speaker.

So, is this likely to change? Well, YouGov’s figures don’t exactly inspire confidence in the market. That’s because of those that don’t currently own a smart device, 76% say that they’re not interested in one either, while 47% of those that do own a smart device aren’t considering another. Those numbers are extremely worrying for an industry that is expected to grow exponentially in the future – but it should hopefully be a relatively easy fix.

Awareness of smart home devices doesn’t appear to be an issue, with just 7% of non-owners not knowing about any. Instead the problem seems to be with information – while they may know about the devices, they don’t know much about what they do. In fact, a shocking 56% of smart device owners responded to YouGov’s survey by noting that they are aware of smart devices, but don’t know much about them. That represents a serious issue for the industry.

Thankfully, it’s not all doom and gloom. 14% of non-owners are considering purchasing a smart device in the future, and that would still represent a major boost for the industry. It’s not just non-owners who are looking at purchasing smart devices either, with 40% of current owners also looking to add to their collection in the future.

This article is part of a series exploring YouGov’s latest research surrounding the smart home market in the UK. For more on this series, click here.