Rise of the robots: Bookshelves make way for home gadgets

New research by E.ON has found that 73% of people have adopted smarter technologies in their homes, ditching traditional furnishings and items such as bookshelves in favour of smart hubs and solar panels.

When asked which everyday items are becoming obsolete due to smarter solutions, around half of respondents said CD/DVD stands (52%) and photo albums (48%), a third said bookshelves (34%) and a quarter said cables and wires (26%).

The research with 2,000 homeowners has been conducted to investigate the nation’s attitudes to the smart solutions available today and in the future. It reveals that the majority of people have already taken steps to make their homes smarter with a third (34%) planning further upgrades.

However, there’s still work to be done with more than a quarter (27%) of people yet to adopt smart technologies in their homes. In fact, one in five (21%) homeowners are uncomfortable with using smart technology.

Those who’ve already implemented technology upgrades cited saving money (59%), becoming more energy efficient (55%) and saving time (38%) among their key drivers. Almost half (48%) said they’d made their homes smarter to make their lives easier, while 17% simply liked having the latest gadgets, 13% wanted their home to be more fun, and 6% desired better looking technology.

When asked about the types of smart technologies people would want in their homes by 2020, four in ten (44%) said they’d like solar panels and/or an electricity battery storage system, more than a third (35%) would like smart lighting, a fifth (20%) wanted a voice controlled smart hub and 13% would like a charging point for an electric car.

But when it comes to solar energy, a number of myths persist with 17% of those questioned mistakenly thinking that solar panels only generate electricity when it’s sunny and one in ten (11%) wrongly believing that solar panels don’t work in cold climates.

Of those surveyed, almost one in ten (9%) homeowners said they already have solar panels. Of these, more than three quarters (76%) said they’re saving money, almost two thirds (65%) said their home is more energy efficient, and almost a third (30%) said they’ve seen the value of their property increase – all as a result of having solar panels installed.

What’s more, four in ten (41%) of those asked said that having a solar panel and battery system would make a potential home more appealing to them if they were looking to buy.

Gavin Stokes, Head of Commercial Solutions at E.ON UK, said: “It’s really heartening that three quarters of households have already taken steps to make their homes smarter. But with a quarter of people saying they’re yet to take steps to make their homes more solutions-savvy, there’s still much we can do to help people realise the benefits a smarter lifestyle can bring. For example, we recently launched E.ON Solar and Storage – a solar and battery solution that’s available now for the four in ten people questioned who said they’d like to have this type of technology by 2020.

Many of the people we spoke to are already aware of the benefits solar and battery systems can bring – from saving money, to having a more energy efficient home, to making homes more appealing to buyers. We’re committed to bringing smarter solutions to market for our customers and we’d welcome anyone who’s interested in finding out more about E.ON Solar and Storage to visit our website and find out more and get detailed, personalised information for their home and their needs.”

source http://blog.evolutionproperties.co.uk/2017/07/06/rise-of-the-robots-bookshelves-make-way-for-home-gadgets/