Survey shows growing interest in smart home tech

More than a third of young Americans are interested in homes with smart technology features that provide security, energy efficiency and entertainment, a survey from realtor.com has found.

The survey published last week shows that a quarter of Americans are more interested in smart home technology after spending much more of their time at home due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Around 41% of smart home tech owners say they’ve purchased at least one new device since the outbreak began. Interest in smart home gadgets is highest among people aged 18 to 34, the survey found.

“The survey results show that many Americans, especially younger people, are leveraging smart-home technologies to enhance their quality of life, even more so now that most of us reshaped our homes into live, work, learn, and play spaces,” said George Ratiu, realtor.com®’s senior economist. “In a year defined by a global pandemic, and fraught with civil unrest and economic volatility, it’s not surprising that people are prioritizing the safety and security of their home, their finances, and having a comfortable place to relax and unwind.”

Indeed, security-related smart-home products topped consumers’ lists. Survey respondents said smart-home features that could even make new homes more desirable include a smart doorbell with a camera and a high-tech security system. About 21% of respondents also said they’d be willing to pay more for a home with a high-tech security system or a smart doorbell with a camera.

When respondents were asked to choose their favorite smart home feature, the majority said a high-tech security system was at the top of their wish lists. Meanwhile, more than half of all respondents and 61% of those aged 18 to 34 said they already have some smart home tech, such as Smart TVs, smart home speakers, smart doorbells, robot vacuums and connected climate control systems.

On energy efficiency preferences, consumers said a feature that would make a new home more desirable would be solar roof tiles, a home battery pack to store solar energy, and standalone solar panels. As for entertainment, 26% of consumers said a high-tech home theatre and 18% said TVs that pop up out of dressers or drop down from the ceiling are features they say would make a new home more desirable.