The ‘Smarter Living Challenge’ will initially work with 60 households across the UK, investigating how digital technology can help make their lives easier, reduce emissions, and save them money. After the three-month period, BT and Hubbub will use their findings to launch a movement encouraging more households to make a positive change.

“BT has led the way on climate action for over 28 years and we’ve pledged to become a net zero carbon emissions business by 2045,” said Andy Wales, Chief Digital Impact and Sustainability Officer at BT Group. “We also have a responsibility to help households reduce their own carbon emissions and we’re hoping to inspire action on a big scale when we reveal the outcomes of this project to the wider public in spring 2021.”

The households taking part in the initial project will be introduced to smart home devices, apps, and tips about smart tech, including smart thermostats, radiator valves, lighting, and plugs, as well as apps to manage energy, food, and water use.

Research conducted by Censuswide found that 63 per cent of people don’t currently use any smart technology to run their homes but 23 per cent would use more technology if it reduced their impact on the environment. The problem found is that, though 61 per cent of the 3,000 surveyed are concerned about the environment, 43 per cent wrongly believe that leading a greener lifestyle would be more expensive.

“Our research shows that 41 per cent of people said they’d use technology more to manage their homes if it saved them money on their bills, suggesting a need to explore exactly which technology can have a positive impact on household bills and how much money can be saved,” said Gavin Ellis, Co-founder and Director of Hubbub. “By investigating what works for different types of households we hope to inspire the public to embrace technology in a way that works for them, helping to save money and cut carbon emissions in the home.”

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Smart devices, or consumer products that can be linked to other technology, have been rapidly growing and improving due to factors such as faster broadband speeds, mobile advancements, and hardware. Yet, according to data and analytics company GlobalData, the categories of these devices have dramatically changed in the past three years mainly due to the growing Internet of Things (IoT).

“The leading categories of connected devices in the US carrier channel during 2017, such as fitness trackers, have been decimated due to a changing wearables landscape and Apple’s smartwatches,” said Anisha Bhatia, senior device analyst, GlobalData. “Fitbit’s unique selling proposition, fitness tracking, is now a commodity feature in most wearables.

“The smart home category was not prominent across US carrier online portfolios in 2017. The embedding of Amazon and Google’s AI-based voice assistants Alexa and Google Assistant across a variety of product categories has given rise to a succession of interconnected smart home devices, an increasingly important IoT subcategory, across carrier portfolios. By February 2020, the smart home category was second only to smartwatches in terms of connected devices offered by carriers.”

GlobaData also found that US carriers are also decreasing the number of smart products they are selling as the market adapts. In March 2017, GlobalData recorded that the four largest US carriers offered 200 connected devices. As of February 2020, this number of smart devices on the market has fallen to 130.

Bhatia concludes: “Connected devices have allowed US carriers to find incremental sources of service revenue separate from smartphones and their associated wireless services, and these IoT-focused devices will continue to strengthen in number with advancements in 5G networks and artificial intelligence capabilities.”

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The majority of smart speaker users (7 in 10) say their devices cause privacy concerns, according to The Case for Voice Control, a new report released by Hub Entertainment Research. The Hub also revealed that two-thirds (66 per cent) of consumers who are yet to buy a smart speaker admit that privacy is a main reason why they haven’t purchased one.

Still, more than 4 in 10 consumers own a smart speaker, and three-fourths use their smart speaker to interact with media content, including music, TV programs, movies, podcast, or audiobooks. Additionally, two-thirds of smart speaker owners use their devices to control media playback, leading with the Apple HomePod (72 per cent), Amazon Echo (64 per cent), and the Google Home (63 per cent).

Aside from media or entertainment categories, two-thirds of consumers say they are interacting with their smart speakers to ask general questions, ask for directions, and inquire about the weather or news. A much lower number of smart speaker owners said they use their devices for communication, smart home, and retail needs.

91 per cent of smart speaker users said they are worried about unwanted listening by their speakers, and 90 per cent of owners said they are concerned about data being unknowingly collected. Even with those concerns, 80 per cent of consumers have used voice command technology on some sort of device (smartphones, tablets, computers, remote controls, smart speakers, and in-car).

“This new report shows just how pervasive voice control is, and how quickly consumers have embraced it, even if they have major privacy concerns,” says David Tice, senior consultant to Hub and co-author of the study. “These privacy issues may be a key reason why ‘retail’ uses (e.g., shopping, financial) lag well behind other activities like entertainment on smart speakers.”

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Though more European homes will be smart by 2023, it lags behind North America in terms of market penetration, with 41 per cent of North American homes predicted to be smart compared to 35 per cent of European homes.

The North American market is currently the most advanced, having an installed based of 33.8m as of the end of 2018. This represents a penetration of 24 per cent and a market growth of 38.6 per cent between 2017 and 2018. Overall, across Europe and North America, the number of smart homes reached 64m in 2018.

Smart speakers are comfortably the most embraced piece of smart kit in North America, with an installed base of around 100m at the end of 2018. In Europe, smart speakers (21m units) fall second in popularity behind connected lighting (22.4m units), which hit 25.2m units in North America at the end of 2018. Smart thermostats are also popular, having an installed by of 18.9m in North America and 6.6m in Europe.

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“We’re excited to offer this new integration with Brilliant, which makes it even easier for everyone at home to use and enjoy LIFX smart lighting,” said Norbert Herrmann, global vice president, LIFX. “As our LIFX bulbs have Wi-Fi built-in, there is no longer a need for a dedicated hub, which is a lot more convenient for consumers.”

Brilliant’s mobile app, which is available on both iOS and Android, will allow LIFX customers to choose from 5 shades of white, 15-preset colors, and lighting scenes remotely. Customers can also use Amazon Alexa’s voice control to turn the lights on or off, and control other light settings.

“The future of smart home control is to make the experience seamless for consumers. With LIFX and Brilliant natively integrated, it’s now a lot easier to customize your smart home lighting experience and set a defined mood. This is one of the most requested features from our customers, so we’re excited to offer it starting today,” said Aaron Emigh, Brilliant CEO and co-founder.

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Smart thermostats are becoming more popular among consumers who want control their energy consumption, while smart speakers have been immensely popular since debuting a few years ago.

Both Amazon and Google have heavily in the automated home device market. Alongside its Echo range, Amazon spent $1bn on smart doorbell firm ring. Meanwhile, Google has the Nest brand of smart home products.

“The advent of smart speakers has had a significant impact across the automated home, as they have enabled simple, voice-activated control of all types of smart devices and, thanks to their relatively low price point, offered an ideal entry point for customers that are curious about home automation,” said Ed Thomas, principal analyst for GlobalData’s technology thematic research team. “Their success has also turned the home into another front in the ongoing war between the giants of the technology industry, including Amazon, Google, Apple, Alibaba, and Samsung.

“Samsung is falling behind in this theme – its smart speaker has yet to hit shelves despite being announced in 2018 and the company lacks a unified approach to the automated home of the kind that Google now has following its decision to embrace Nest as its automated home brand. Specialist automated home device vendors, such as Ecobee, will increasingly struggle to compete with the tech giants and will either be acquired or forced out of business.”

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The survey of 2,500 UK consumers found that, when it comes to smart home appliances, 12 per cent of households own a smart heating device, while 11 per cent own a smart lighting device. 41 per cent and 36 per cent of respondents, respectively, plan to own these products over the next five years. Smart security device ownership has reached nine per cent with 37 per cent of households expecting to own one in the next five years.

Smart washing machines are owned by six per cent of households and smart fridges by five per cent of households. 19 per cent of people plan to own either of these in the next five years.

“Smart home adoption rates are encouraging, with virtual assistants really striking a chord with consumers over the past year,” said Adrian Baschnonga, global lead telecommunications analyst at EY. “Entry-level products continue to come down in price, helping to put smart home tech within reach of more and more households”

The biggest issue standing in the way of widespread adoption of smart home technology is concerns surrounding security.

71 per cent of households are concerned about the ability of hackers to access their internet-connected products, while 68 per cent are worried about the personal data captured and shared by smart home devices. Moreover, 53 per cent believe that smart home technology will never be secure.

“Consumer anxieties could derail the smart home growth story,” said Baschnonga. “Perceived security flaws allied to discomfort around how personal data is captured by voice-activated devices are top of mind for many households. These concerns are unlikely to fade any time soon, meaning service providers must take new steps to reassure both existing smart home users and would-be users.”

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Century Communities, Inc., a national home builder, has announced the launch of its new initiative, Century Home Connect, which will implement Google Assistant technology into all of its soon-to-be constructed homes. Century Communities plans to debut the smart homes across 15 states in which the company is already established.

Century Communities’ homes will come with a Google Home Hub, Nexia thermostat, Eaton light and dimmer switches, and Schlage front-door electronic deadbolt locks. Wade Jurney Homes, a Century brand, will also provide all purchased homes with a Google Home Mini to control the built-in technology.

Using Google Home Hub, residents will be able to view live video of their entire house, as well as take photos of any room. To control central air and heating, the Nexia thermostat can be managed by touch-screen monitors as well as voice-control. Eaton’s Z-Wave Wireless Switch and Dimmer can replace regular light switches in an entire house and be controlled from its automation hub. Lastly, the Schlage Connect is an electronic residential deadbolt that can be unlocked using a regular key, touch-screen keypad, or by smartphone.

“We are proud to collaborate with Google to offer our homebuyers the latest in smart home technology. Todays homeowner demands the best in system compatibility including follow-up consultation on installation and connectivity for in-home communications, security, lighting and comfort,” said Mark Adcock, national vp of construction services for Century Communities. “Century Communities homebuyers will be able to control their smart devices such as their thermostats with just a spoken command. We can provide them with smart home functionality, day-to-day personalization, comfort and peace of mind powered by the Google Assistant.”

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Eero, founded in 2014, competes with the likes of Google and Netgear to provide router products. Instead of providing a single router device, it deals with coverage issues through multiple access points that work together to provide blanket coverage across the home. The system is controlled by a companion app.

“We are incredibly impressed with the Eero team and how quickly they invented a wi-fi solution that makes connected devices just work,” said Dave Limp, SVP of devices and services at Amazon. “We have a shared vision that the smart home experience can get even easier, and we’re committed to continue innovating on behalf of customers.”

Nick Weaver, co-founder and CEO of Eero, added: “By joining the Amazon family, we’re excited to learn from and work closely with a team that is defining the future of the home, accelerate our mission, and bring Eero systems to more customers around the globe.”

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As well as missing the 2020 target, the report by the NAO suggests the cost of the rollout is likely to escalate beyond initial expectations, with the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) having underestimated how long it would take to implement both the infrastructure and technical standards for the second generation of smart meters.

Significant technical delays meant that the first of the current generation of smart meters wasnt installed until July 2017, over three years later than planned. In the absence of the current SMETS2 meters, energy suppliers have installed over 12.5m first generation smart meters, more than double the number originally planned.

The NAO report warned that attempting to stick to the 2020 deadline will put increasing pressure on the programme, and raises the risks of cost escalation and the chance that technology is rolled out before defects have been addressed. However, BEIS has argued that without the 2020 deadline, energy suppliers will continue to underinvest in the rollout while arguing for more time.

The report did maintain that the rollout of smart meters, which provide consumers with better guidance regarding their energy consumption and enable energy suppliers to take readings remotely, will lead to economic benefits over time, but that the Government needs to revise its strategy when it comes to the initial rollout of devices.

“Costs are rising, and timescales slipping, but smart meters can still succeed over time,” said Amyas Morse, head of the NAO. “BEIS has taken most of the decisions that matter on the programme so far. They now need to take responsibility for getting it back on track and protecting the interests of consuemrs who will ultimately meet the bills.”

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