The Future of Smart Homes

Over the last 10 years ‘smart’ products, items that can be integrated with other devices to form a ‘smart home’ system, have rapidly been adopted by households nationwide. Now that smartphones, voice command speakers, and Smart Heating Systems are commonplace, some ask: what is the future of these products?

This was the basis of a recent OnePoll survey, where we asked 2000 people for their opinions on smart home products. Here is the interest they showed in these would-be smart devices:

The Top 20 Future Smart Home Products

20-11: Who would want this?

Well, as it turns out, a fair number of us would still be quite interested. Even in the bottom half of this list, these future smart home device ideas still received support between 10%-30%. The fact that more than 1 in 10 of us want to see an in-house hologram, an idea off-putting to many, highlights the increasing appeal of smart home systems.

“Which of the below would you like to see in the ‘home of the future’?”

20. A hologram to remind you to do tasks.

19. Showerheads with built-in Bluetooth to support phone calls whilst washing.

18. A front door that automatically sends you a message when your child(ren) get home.

17. Home cloud to track other appliances to notify you if they aren’t working.

16. A coffee machine that prepares a beverage to be ready when you wake up.

15. TVs that recognise who’s watching to show appropriate programmes.

14. Fridge / Cupboards that automatically reorder regular shopping items.

13. Blinds that close as soon as the sun starts to set and re-open at sunrise.

12. Smart meter that monitors your smart heating and recommends you energy-saving tips.

11. Blinds / Curtains that shut when it’s dark and open when it’s light.

10-4: That might be nice…

The next 6 smart home products had support from 30%-40% of our group:

10. A heating system that sends reports on your energy efficiency and offers tips to improve it.

Similar to one of Wiser’s latest new features: Insights & Heat Report.

9. Heating that recognises when you leave the property and turns off automatically.

Over a third of those asked would like to see more advanced Smart Thermostat scheduling features like this.

8. An oven with multi-temperature features.

A ‘Smart Oven’ would allow different shelves to be different temperatures simultaneously.

7. Garages that charge your electric car just by parking on a charging pad.

This has been tipped as a future breakthrough for the electric car market that we may see soon.

6. Fingerprint scanning door locks.

The future of smart home security perhaps?

5. Lights that adjust automatically depending on the time of day.

27% of those surveyed also said better lighting would help them while working from home.

4. Smart heating that recognises body temperature and adjusts heating accordingly.

Given its popularity, maybe it’s something for Team Wiser to consider!

The Top 3: The future of smart homes?

With each receiving interest by 40% or more of our group, the undisputed most popular future smart products are:

3rd Place – Walls / Doors that soundproof on request.

Over 30% of those asked said soundproofing would improve their experience of working from home. Even in standard offices, smart technology such as this could boost productivity.

Runner-Up – A self-adjusting heating system.

With almost 50% of participants agreeing that controlling Smart Heating From An App was good, a considerable number also want a completely automated system that requires no interaction at all.

The Winner – Windows that tint automatically in bright sunshine.

Could the glare from the sun soon be a thing of the past in our smart homes? Those surveyed clearly hope so! This may seem simple, but perhaps simple solutions to age-old problems are exactly where the potential of smart devices may lie.

Our closing thoughts

The OnePoll survey, highlighted the promise of smart heating systems moving forward; a quarter of these top 20 ideas relate to heating. It also stressed the demand for Smart Home Sustainability, with over 80% of participants saying it was important to them. That’s why Wiser is committed to future innovation in smart thermostats, with an emphasis on energy efficiency and sustainable manufacturing.

For more content like this, you can read our guide to Being Greener With Smart Heating Here