More than one in five (22%) use smart solutions such as thermostats, smart meters, and light controls for energy management in their homes, while 17% use smart home security solutions such as internet-connected home alarm system, security cameras, etc.
One in sixteen (6%) use smart home appliances for both inside the house (such as robot vacuums, ovens, coffee machines, etc.) and outside (such as internet-connected lawn mowers or garden irrigation systems).
More than four in ten internet users (41%) use a virtual assistant, such as Google Home, Alexa, Apple HomePod, etc.
Seven in ten (70%) use internet-connected TV (including connection via Chromecast), 36% use internet-connected game consoles such as Wii U, PlayStation 4, etc., and a further 36% use a home audio system or smart speakers.
More than half (54%) wear smart devices such as a smart watch, fitness band/activity tracker, while 7% use smart solutions for monitoring, for example, their blood pressure, sugar levels, etc. A further 7% have in-car wireless connection.
This publication, ‘Smart Technology 2022’, is the second of a series of publications presenting the results of the annual Information and Communications Technology (ICT) Household Survey. The first publication ‘Digital Consumer Behaviour’ was published on 12 December 2022 and covered individuals’ use of e-commerce including sharing economy, internet activities, online learning, and their use of e-Government. The third publication, Sustainability of Personal ICT devices, will be published on 19 December 2022 and will look at how we dispose of ICT devices such as smartphones or laptops and what factors influence our decisions when buying new devices, including environmental considerations. The fourth and final publication, Internet Access and Usage in Ireland, will be published on 21 December 2022 and will cover household internet access, and individuals’ frequency of internet usage.
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Statistician's Comment
The Central Statistics Office (CSO) has today (16 December 2022) released Smart Technology 2022, which is the second of a series of publications presenting the results of the annual Information and Communications Technology (ICT) Household Survey. (See Editor’s Note below for more details.)
The 2022 ICT Household Survey was carried out in the first half of 2022. The data in this publication relates to the experience of persons aged 16 years and over who have used the internet within the three months prior to interview. At an overall level, more than nine in ten (92%) persons aged 16 years and older had used the internet within the previous three months. We examine their use of internet-connected devices and systems, both inside and outside the home.
Commenting on the results, Maureen Delamere, Statistician in the Social Analysis Division, said: "As our everyday lives become more virtual, we are increasingly using the Internet of Things (IoT) to connect devices and objects to the internet as part of our daily lives, both inside and outside the home. We wear smart watches or use smart gas or electricity meters to manage our energy consumption in the home. In 2022, we asked internet users about their use of the IoT in their private lives.
Smart living in the home
At an overall level, more than half (51%) of internet users have used domotics (home internet-connected devices or systems). Of these, 22% use internet-connected devices and systems such as thermostats, smart meters for gas, electricity, smart lights, plug-ins, energy panels, etc. for energy management in the home.
At a regional level, Dubliners were more likely to use such smart energy management systems in their homes. Around 29% of internet users in Dublin used such devices and systems for smart living compared with 11% of internet users in the Border region.
Smart home security solutions were used by one in six (17%) internet users in some form in their homes. Such smart solutions include internet-connected home alarm system, security cameras, connected windows or doors, floor sensors, etc.
Smart domestic appliances
One in sixteen (6%) internet users use smart home appliances for both inside the house (such as fridges, ovens, coffee machines, etc.) and outside (IoT equipment for the garden such as internet-connected lawn mowers, garden irrigation device or system).
Smart home entertainment
Seven in ten (70%) use internet-connected TV (smart TVs or other less advanced connected TV sets, including where connection is via Chromecast), while 36% use internet-connected game consoles such as Wii U, PlayStation 4, etc., and a further 36% use smart home audio systems.
Use of virtual assistants
More than four in ten internet users (41%) use a virtual assistant such as Google Home, Alexa, Apple HomePod, etc. in their homes.
Smart wearable devices
More than half (54%) of internet users wear devices such as a smart watch, fitness band/activity tracker, connected goggles or headsets, etc, while 7% use e-health devices solutions for monitoring blood pressure, sugar level, etc., while a similar number (7%) had a car with built-in wireless connection.“