A staggering 86% (more than four in five) would consider a smart home when choosing their next property, according to research carried out by the Smart Home Buyers Index.
The study - looking into specialist research of 1,000 consumers and analysing UK Google search results - revealed that smart homes are highly desirably to those intending to buy or rent a new home in the next five years. In fact, equipping your smart home could add more than £18,000 to the value of the average household in the UK.
Smart technology is now less of a luxury and more of a necessity in modern life: optimising energy efficiency, monitoring energy use and consumption, slashing heating bills and saving you money in the process. The steady surge of interest in 'going green', embracing sustainability and becoming self sufficient has garnered the appeal of current homeowners, but there's also evidence that Gen Z will shape the future market. An incredible 38% of 18 to 24-year-olds surveyed say that they want their next home to be a smart one compared to only 9% of adults over 64.
The current cost of living crisis - which encompasses high inflation, rising rent costs, low wages, and crucially, spiralling energy bills - has made finding new, modern ways of saving money a vital factor in day-to-day life. The Smart Home Buyers Index data also reveals that an overwhelming 84% say saving money on energy bills using technology is important in choosing their new home.
Whether you're retrofitting your current home with cutting-edge smart tech or you want to know the impact of the current smart devices installed in your fully kitted-out smart home, Eco Wizard are here to help. We'll guide you through some of the most popular smart devices among online consumers
One of the most popular smart energy devices, heat pumps are an energy-saving staple for home heating and hot water systems. The Salus MP200A 4-6 Metre Heating System Head Pump comes pre-wired - simply plug and pump, with no requirement to open the terminal box. According to The Smart Home Buyers Index research, 30% of consumers said, after reading up on information around heat pumps, that they were likely to think about installing one in the next 12 months.
When it comes to living a 'smart' lifestyle, smart switches are a desirable must-have, giving you energy-saving, convenient control of your lighting via your smartphone. The TP-Link Tapo S210 1-Gang 1-Way Smart Light Switch is easy to install and operate, allowing you to turn lighting On and Off via the Tapo App or you can even opt for hands-free voice assistant control when paired with Amazon Alexa and Google Home.
A smart energy essential. Smart thermo radiator control valves (TRVs) allow you to heat the individual rooms of your home to save on energy bills. The Eve Home Smart Thermo Radiator Control Valve not only allows you to control and monitor your TRV, you can also create autonomous schedules to synchronise your heating with your own lifestyle and daily routines.
If you're interested in smart plug technology, our Salus SP600 Smart Home Plug lets you control your connected devices or remotely disable the outlet to save energy lost by costly standby modes. You can also monitor your smart plug and the energy usage of the outlet via the SALUS iT600 Smart Home app.
Research states that "40% of UK consumers are considering purchasing energy-efficient solutions, such as solar panels and battery storage. In fact, more than half believe homes will be majority powered by solar energy in 50 years." In light of this, you can purchase an array of different solar panel products at Eco Wizard, including the Bluetti PV200 Portable Folding Solar Panel. Made with monocrystalline solar cells, the PV200 can convert up to 23.4% of sunlight into usable solar energy, even in bad weather. Setup couldn't be easier, all you need to do is unfold your PV200, pull out the kickstands and adjust the angle of the panel to capture the most amount of sunlight.
'Device Compatibility Is Key'
According to 81% of those surveyed in The Smart Home Buyers Index research, seamless compatibility between smart tech and current devices is considered 'important'. At Eco Wizard, we recognise that it's imperative that all your devices work together within your smart home system, and that's why we've handpicked a wide range of products that use Matter.
This brand new smart home protocol allows you to easily control all your different smart home devices, regardless of brand, from the app or voice assistance control of your choosing. Whether you use an iPhone, Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant or similar, all your smart home devices will work together in your smart home system with easy setup, seamless control and consistent, responsive local connectivity.
