UC Davis

The smart home market includes several different types of products that enable energy management: smart lights, plugs, thermostats, and appliances. While pilot studies have been conducted across these categories, little is known about the actual market adopters of these product types and how they may (or may not) be using the products to manage their energy use. This paper reports results from a survey of over 300 California residential utility customers who own smart home energy management (HEM) products. In order to better understand how and for whom each product is, or is not, contributing to home energy management, we characterize and compare the user experience of different product types. Smart thermostats were the most popular among our sample, with highest levels of ownership and highest reported intention to continue use compared with other product categories. Smart thermostats were also most frequently reported to result in energy savings, although about one-third of owners of each other product type also reported energy savings. Smart thermostats and plugs were most commonly purchased online, whereas smart lights and appliances were most often purchased in home improvement stores. We also highlight interesting differences among owners of smart lights, plugs, thermostats, and appliances in terms of demographics, household characteristics, and attitudes about energy management and smart home technology. Our findings have implications for market segmentation, utility programs, and product development to better leverage the energy management potential of smart home products.