Homely download

Glass Times editor Nathan Bushell foresees a shift in demand when young adults finally make it on to the property ladder.

There has been an element of smart home technology available in the glass and glazing industry for a number of years now – smart locking solutions have graced many an exhibition stand – but suppliers have said that demand for them had been sluggish.

That is slowly starting to change, and anecdotal evidence suggests that homeowners are starting to embrace the idea of having a digital relationship with the front door, rather than an analogue one (ie, a key).

This is great news, if only because it opens up new areas of interest, and therefore sales.

This shift has been reflected in some part by a recent report by the Inwido Group , which found that those homeowners who weren’t interested in smart home technology found that it didn’t contribute to a homely feel.

I have no doubt that as more millennials get on the property ladder, then the technology-suspicious element will start to shrink – I mean, we don’t still hanker after rising damp and outside lavatories, do we?

Of course, the only fly in the ointment is the price and availability of new housing – both doing a good job of persuading millennials to live with mum and dad where they are no doubt complaining about the speed of the wifi.

Therefore, as new homes continue to be built  the demand for smart home technology should continue to rise.