HOME AUTOMATION: THE TRENDS OF 2020 AND WHAT TO EXPECT NEXT YEAR

During this year Londoners showed several changes in their daily activities, resulting in less time spent commuting and at the workplace, and more at home.

Thus, technologies accelerated their growth in both the fields of remote working and home entertainment. We wonder how home electronics will further evolve next year.

T&V Architects asked Tas Kyriacou, director at home automation specialist IDS, to offer his insight on the trends of 2020 and predictions for the next year.

What did you notice this year that was quite unlike any other?

“This year has been very interesting in the home technology world. Despite all the uncertainty with COVID, one thing that was certain was that a lot of people were spending more time at home with their families. This gave them time to really reflect on what they want from their homes.”

“Where restaurants and bars as well cinemas and a host of over venues were closed for long periods of time this year people still wanted the enjoyment of having these amenities or at least something that closely resembles the fun and excitement. So, what better way to enjoy the cinema than having one in your home! We’ve had a huge uptake on enquires for home cinemas and media rooms as well as entertainment space with better lighting and audio to create fun and vibrant space.”

“We have also seen more interest in outdoor entertainment. People want to utilize as much of their homes as possible, including outdoor space, therefore, being able to incorporate audio and video entertainment which can seamlessly integrate their entertainment indoors and outdoors has been very appealing to our clients.”

“What we have also seen is upgrades in connectivity, enhancing speed and reliability within homes has been crucial to a lot of our clients, especially with the need to work from home and in cases where both adults are working from home. Perhaps with homeschooling, there is far more demand for a home network than ever before. We have also seen numerous requests for Wi-Fi expansion to outdoor spaces. This has been crucial for new and existing clients.”

Which are your predictions for 2021?

“I believe that the areas we’ve discussed will continue to grow next year, as more people see the value of enjoying their homes, then they will continue to enhance their homes! Not from just a technology standpoint but from many aspects such as refurbishments, extensions, reconfigurations, etc.”

“I also believe we will see enhanced voice technology & AI (Artificial Intelligence) from big manufacturers such as Amazon and Google. This is an area that is rapidly growing with huge technological advancements happening as we speak.”

“Further connectivity with kitchen appliances may also see growth, we’ve already had a client that has requested integration of their coffee machine into the main home control system. Our manufacturers are now developing drivers and software to allow for this to happen with multiple brands and appliances.”

“I also think that air purifying technology will be something far more common. The hospitality industry has led the drive for this, however, I do believe people are now far more conscious about the quality of air that they breathe. Could COVID be a contributor to this? I think so. Thus, our job will be to find quality providers that will allow us to integrate this technology into our control systems.”