Benefits and risks of smart home technologies

Charlie Wilson,Tom Hargreaves,Richard Hauxwell-Baldwin

doi:10.1016/j.enpol.2016.12.047

Charlie Wilson, Tom Hargreaves + Show 1 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enpol.2016.12.047

Copy DOI

Journal: Energy policy	Publication Date: Jan 16, 2017
Citations: 369	License type: cc-by

Affiliation: Tyndall Centre, University of East Anglia

Abstract

Smart homes are a priority area of strategic energy planning and national policy. The market adoption of smart home technologies (SHTs) relies on prospective users perceiving clear benefits with acceptable levels of risk. This paper characterises the perceived benefits and risks of SHTs from multiple perspectives.A representative national survey of UK homeowners (n=1025) finds prospective users have positive perceptions of the multiple functionality of SHTs including energy management. Ceding autonomy and independence in the home for increased technological control are the main perceived risks. An additional survey of actual SHT users (n=42) participating in a smart home field trial identifies the key role of early adopters in lowering perceived SHT risks for the mass market. Content analysis of SHT marketing material (n=62) finds the SHT industry are insufficiently emphasising measures to build consumer confidence on data security and privacy.Policymakers can play an important role in mitigating perceived risks, and supporting the energy-management potential of a smart-home future. Policy measures to support SHT market development include design and operating standards, guidelines on data and privacy, quality control, and in situ research programmes. Policy experiences with domestic energy efficiency technologies and with national smart meter roll-outs offer useful precedents.

Highlights

Smart homes are one of the EU's 10 priority action areas in its Strategic Energy Technology Plan: "Create technologies and services for smart homes that provide smart solutions to energy consumers"
As in the EU, widespread diffusion of smart homes in the UK has already been anticipated in policy documents (DECC, 2009; HMG, 2009) and is seen as an important 'building block’ of the smart grid (DECC-OFGEM, 2011)
Survey respondents clearly perceive the main purpose of smart home technologies (SHTs) to be controlling energy, heating and appliances (Fig. 2, left panel)

Summary

Introduction

Smart homes are one of the EU's 10 priority action areas in its Strategic Energy Technology Plan: "Create technologies and services for smart homes that provide smart solutions to energy consumers". Behind this strategic policy objective lies "the Commission's vision for the electricity market [which] aims to deliver a new deal for consumers, smart homes and network, data management and protection" (EC, 2015). The Commission argues that “Communities and individual citizens are eager to manage energy consumption ...” (EC, 2015; EESC, 2015) From this policy perspective, smart homes are enabling technologies to meet a latent demand by households for home energy control and management. Smart home experts agree that "climate change and energy policy will drive UK smart home market development" (Balta-Ozkan et al, 2013a)

Methods

Results

Conclusion