Smart homes? Who would have even heard of such a thing a few years ago! Well, times have changed. Technology has moved on at such a pace over recent years giving ordinary people greater efficiency and flexibility in everyday tasks. Just take mobile banking, contactless  payments, shopping by ‘click and collect’ and even recording your favourite TV programme while you are out . Who would have dreamed a few years ago that it would be possible to use devices , like smartphones, to control gadgets and home appliances from wherever you like, whenever you like.

The demand for smart home technology and smart home gadgets  is on the increase –in fact we are in the midst of a technological revolution.

“It’s no secret that homes are getting smarter and more sophisticated and market analysts predict that this is only set to continue.” Andy Mansfield, marketing communications manager, Honeywell

Some of the controllable devices in a smart home

The explosion of multi-connected devices is predicted by experts to increase over thirty fold during the next 20 years to a colossal 26 billion connected devices by 2020, amounting to a value of 1 trillion dollars. A major proponent in this advance is the mobile phone which is no longer used just for phone calls to family and friends but has effectively become a universal remote control to control everything , from lighting and heating to your coffee machine to your garage door – without even having to physically be present at your property.

Over the last few decades the digital age has replaced encyclopaedias with the internet and online search engines; filing cabinets with solid state memory cards; personal stereos with iPods. So what of the traditional residential electrical installation? How has that changed over the last 30 years or so? Well, not a lot. But this is finally changing. We are in the beginnings of the next big technological trend, the birth of a new ear – the smart home.

What steps are you taking to incorporate smart home technology into your home? Click here to find out more.