According to MoneySupermarket 77% of Brits now what a smart home is, and 58% of all Brits would install smart technology they don’t yet have if it meant reducing their home insurance premiums. Of course, saving money isn’t the only advantage of smart technologies and we will go on to discuss, but spending money to save money, that’s what us Brits are all about. Oh yeah and showing off to our friends and family the new bit of tech kit we just acquired that condemns their old school technology to the 20th Century.
So, what type of technology could you invest in which would reduce your future home insurance policy costs, and provide other benefits? According to Insure4Retirement there are several.
Water Leakage Systems
Sound boring? Well not when you find out that 30% of UK domestic insurance claims are due to escape of water according to the Association for British Insurers, a concerning statistic, which costs the insurance industry £3.9m per day. A simple water leak in a house can cause thousands of pounds of damage to the building, furnishings and furniture.
Right now, there is smart technology available for domestic use which not only detects water leakage, but alerts the homeowner and allows them to remotely turn off the water system to that part of the house. That’s clever stuff! Suddenly a leak that may have gone undetected for hours, days or weeks if you’re on holiday, can be shut off within seconds off starting, saving a lot of money on repair of the damage caused by the leak.
Home Security Systems
Next step, stop burglaries and property damage. The 20th Century solution for security is a security alarm that is turned on when you want it to be, and a dog that barks when someone wakes them up. The 21st Century solution? Smart cameras and sensors which create a digital perimeter and web across your home and land. When an intruder triggers the sensors or cameras several things happen. Instantly an alert is sent to your smart devices, your smartphone, smartwatch, and tablet, informing you and whoever else you want to let know, that an intruder has entered the secure zone.
Live video footage streamed to your devices allow you to determine whether this is a serious threat, a hedgehog or your teenage son breaking his curfew again. Either you set up automatic responses to this or you can trigger them yourself via your smart phone. Responses can include audio noises and or speech via a connected speaker, and lighting via connected smart lighting. Suddenly your whole home turns into a disco, making the intruder panic and run for the hills.
On a smaller scale a smart doorbell provides this same level of security for your front door, and allows you to speak remotely to callers, review video footage and hear what people are saying outside your property.
There’s no doubt that these smart technologies will not only save you money but make you feel much more secure in your own castle.
Sources
- https://www.moneysupermarket.com/home-insurance/connected-homes/
- Ofcom Communications Market Report 2019
- https://www.abi.org.uk/news/news-articles/2018/12/is-water-damage-covered-by-insurance/
- Home Insurance UK, December 2019 Mintel Report
