53% of consumers are interested in having technology-enabled products in the build of their home, according to research conducted by Eurocell plc, the UK’s leading manufacturer, recycler and distributor of PVC-U window, door, conservatory and roofline systems.
With the adoption of home assistants such as ‘Alexa’ and other smart technologies increasing, the ‘smart’, or internet connected, home has become a much discussed possibility. And as consumers’ appetite for technology grows, it is clear that many home owners or occupiers hope that the homes of the future will be designed with technology in-built.
While more than half would like future homes to have smart technology embedded in them, only 20% of those would be willing to pay more for a home that had this as a feature. When asked further about technology within the home, 24% of respondents said they plan to invest in smart technology in their existing property in the near future.
Architects at leading studios Hawkins Brown, SimpsonHaugh and BDP, as well as property developer The High Street Group, analysed the findings, providing expert insight. Assessing the consumer feedback Francesca Roberts, Hawkins Brown, commented: “Technology is changing so quickly, to the point that it’s hard to predict what the smart home will look like in 20 years’ time. So much technology these days is wireless anyway, so it doesn’t necessarily need embedding.”
18.1% of consumers said that integrated technology was in their top three design trends. However, commenting on this James Roberts, SimpsonHaugh, said: “Money is better invested in quality architectural design than on embedding fast changing technology.”
Chris Coxon, Head of Marketing at Eurocell, commented: “The general consensus from the discussion and from the survey was that whilst technology is desirable, it’s not a key priority at the moment. It is not necessary for all housebuilders to embed technology into every development, because it is not necessarily something consumers are willing to pay more for. Simultaneously the expert view was that, as technology changes so quickly, efforts to embed it in the home would be of little benefit as it would soon become dated. It will be interesting to see where technology takes us next, and how housebuilders will work with it.”
The research is part of Eurocell’s ‘The Future Home Report’, and draws on the views of 1,000 25-40-year olds that either own or rent homes, about design and build considerations for future homes.
The Future Home Report can be downloaded in full here https://www.eurocell.co.uk/whitepaper