Statii News: Smart Home Facts and Stats

Smart homes are on the rise and the technology and products that make them are becoming more popular and available worldwide. What exactly is a smart home? A smart home is a residence that uses devices that are connected to the internet that allow us to monitor and manage appliances and systems, such as heating, lighting and home security systems. The word “SMART” doesn’t come from the fact that this technology makes our homes more intelligent (although that is the intention), but actually stands for Self-Monitoring Analysis and Reporting Technology, and was originally developed by IBM.

Smart homes are not a new concept, in fact the first smart home device was product in the late 1960s. The device was a kitchen computer called the ECHO IV, which was able to compute shopping lists, control the home’s temperature and turn other appliances on and off. Although the ECHO IV was never commercially sold, it set the foundation for the technology to follow. In the 1980s programmable thermostats and home computing were created by Roy Mason. You could monitor your health, cooking, weather and more with his products. By the late 1980’s and early 2000s, smart products were making their way onto store shelves which has lead us to our current way of living. As of 2015, the most popular smart home product in the US, was wireless speaker systems, with 17% of people owning one or more of these.

Today our smart homes are sustainable and are ensuring that we aren’t wasting too much unnecessary energy which has a direct impact on the environment. There are many devices and appliances freely available in most stores for us to use in our smart homes, these may include: Wireless speaker systems, thermostats, domestic robots, laundry machines, water detectors, home energy use monitors and door locks.

The year 2018 has marked the rise in all-in-one devices that combine smart speakers, camera’s, hubs, lighting and WiFi. Toshiba, Honeywell, Amazon Echo Plus and Hogar Controls are some of the leading products that you can find in stores for your smart home today. These products and devices not only make our lives more convenient, but also helps to decrease the amount of money we spend on energy and on other appliances.

There are some great benefits that come with having a smart home, one of the top ones being home security. Safety and security affects every person across the world, having a smart home ensures that you have added peace of mind whether you are inside your home, or away on vacation. It is estimated that home security will account for over $100 Billion of the total security market by 2020, and that 62% of Americans agree that security is the top benefit of smart homes. Home security systems include cameras that you can monitor via your smart device, smoke and carbon monoxide detectors, as well as locks and alarms. 3 out of 5 Americans are said to buy smart home products in order to monitor their home via their smartphone.

There are many impacts that a smart home can have on our lives. There are already 47% of Americans who own smart devices, while 70% of people who already own smart products say that they are planning to buy another one. 76% of home products are already being controlled or monitored by smartphones. The impact that smart devices can have is huge when it comes to money, energy and time saving. It is estimated that more than half of the American population say that smart products save them at least 30 minutes per day which equals to roughly a week and a half per year. Think of all of the extra things you could do with that time everyday.

Smart products is also making an impact on the housing industry. 81% of home buyers say that they would rather buy a home that already has smart products installed, which is massive. If you aren’t on the smart home train, it’s time to think about climbing on soon as this technology grows.