UK set to spend £15.4 billion on smart gadgets this Christmas

Story highlights

• 26% of Brits planning to buy a smart gadget for Christmas
• This comes as over two thirds of households (68%) already rely on smart tech in their homes
• HomeServe urge the nation to ensure they can manage simple electrical fixes around the home, to ensure a hassle-free Christmas

The new research from home assistance provider HomeServe, reveals a wider reliance on smart tech, with two thirds (68%) of adults currently saying they own a smart gadget –with smart phones (36%), smart home assistants (31%) and smart speakers (20%) most popular.*² One in seven (14%) even say they use smart tech in place of switches.

Interestingly, 37% of UK adults use smart tech to help them monitor and control their energy consumption more efficiently. Yet at the same time, 27% also express concern about the amount of energy these devices consume. With most smart tech relying on electricity to run or charge them, almost four in ten Brits (37%) have been negatively impacted by a power outage in their home, such as being unable to use their smart gadgets (12%), not being able to recharge their tech (10%) or even being unable to perform simple household tasks (8%). This is felt more acutely as we head into the festive season as over half (53%) worry that a power outage would spoil their celebrations.

Yet surprisingly, 18% of Brits admit they don’t know how to reset their fuse box, prompting HomeServe’s experts to urge people to brush up on basic electrical fixes ahead of the festive season. This is more important as data from HomeServe shows a 19% increase on average in electrical callouts during November.*³

Top 10 smart devices owned by UK adults

1	Smart phones (e.g. apps which can be used to control smart devices) (36%)
2	Smart home assistant (e.g. Alexa, Google Home) (31%)
3	Smart speakers (e.g. Voice-activated or app-controlled speakers) (20%)
4	Smart doorbells (e.g. doorbells which are connected to an app) (18%)
5	Smart thermostat (e.g. heating which can be controlled by voice-activation/app) (13%)
6	Smart lighting (e.g. Voice-activated or app-controlled lights) (13%)
7	Smart plugs (e.g. plugs which can be controlled by voice-activation/apps which let you turn appliances on or off remotely) (12%)
8	Smart cameras (e.g. two-way cameras which allow you to communicate with people or pets) (11%)
9	Smart smoke alarms/ carbon monoxide detectors (send alerts to an app if activated) (8%)
10	Smart small appliances (e.g. app-controlled air fryer) (7%)

 

Sam Starbuck, HomeServe Home Expert, commented: "Electricity really is the oxygen of our homes – without it, the impact can be significant. With smart gadgets controlling everything from heating to security, a power cut can seriously disrupt daily life. We're urging the nation to brush up on basic electrical fixes, like resetting a fuse box, so they're better prepared for power outages.

“For more complex issues, having reliable insurance or home assistance is essential. As we become more dependent on smart tech, ensuring any electrical faults are quickly resolved will help you to have a stress-free festive season without unexpected disruptions." For more information about smart homes visit HomeServe’s guide to smart homes and for simple home maintenance advice, visit HomeServe’s Knowledge Hub.

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Unless otherwise stated, research was conducted by Opinium among 2,000 UK adults (18+) in October 2024.

* 26% of UK adults (18+) said they were planning on buying at least one smart device this Christmas, spending £1,115 on average. According to latest ONS figures there are 53,188,2054 UK adults (18+), meaning 13,828,933 of them are set to buy at least one smart device, spending £1,115 on average. Across those sampled this equates to £15,419,260,340 or 15.4 billion on them.

*² See above, for Top 10 smart devices owned by UK adults.

*³ According to internal HomeServe data, there is a 19% average increase in callouts the month of November compared to average monthly call-outs across 2021-2023.