THE FUTURE
CALLED
and it has big plans for your home,
from magic mirrors to robot gardeners
EVER wondered what the house of the future might look like?
A panel of futurologists, academics and energy experts have revealed their vision of the house of the future, where life is easier for you while being better for the planet.
Chaired by former Tomorrow’s World presenter Maggie Philbin, the team of boffins reckon that by 2070, our homes could deal with lots of the daily drudge for us.
And with smart automated systems, we could also look forward to extra-efficient energy use and a lower carbon footprint.
“Some of the ideas and inventions I saw on Tomorrow’s World painted a very different picture of the future, sometimes one you’d only dream of,” says Maggie. “But seeing what could be in store for British homes is truly exciting – and some of it’s happening all around us already.”
From biometric door locks and battery-powered houses to robotic gardeners and health-monitoring toilets, every room is getting a hi-tech glow-up. So let’s step inside the house of the future and find out how the times are a-changin’ – for the better.
INNOVATIONS THAT COULD
TRANSFORM OUR LIVING SPACES
HOME IMPROVEMENT
Self-shifting walls
Your smart house will be able to literally transform to suit the occasion, with its walls moving automatically to create different sized rooms on demand.
Invisible charging
Wireless charging built into walls and surfaces could mean an end to cable clutter, with every surface in the home becoming a multi-device charger.
Power house
With the help of your smart meter, you could even tell when supply to the national networks is low, and sell your energy back to the grid to make a profit.
Cook up a storm with snazzy next gen kitchen appliances that remember just how you like your steak done.
Magic mirrors
Just ask your mirror for a second opinion on your outfit and it will connect with your digital wardrobe to help you pick out your clothes. Fabulous, darling!
Robots in the garden
In the future, robot gardeners could be as common as lawnmowers. You could even be able to programme them to do the weeding.
Healthy toilet habits
In the future, a smart toilet in your home could monitor your waste and alert you to early signs of disease, such as diabetes, allowing you to get medical advice as quickly as possible.
Heat-saving bathrooms
You could use the heat throughout the house, while the water itself will be collected, cleaned and used to water your garden.
Warm up with solar power, and sell on what you don’t need.
Smart scales could track your health and wellbeing, while heat from used water could be saved and recirculated.
Smart beds could heat – or cool – different zones according to your needs.
Not just for your electric vehicle, here’s where your home’s battery could store excess energy to use later.
With a toilet that could spot early signs of disease, there’s nothing bog standard about the bathroom of the future.
Smart meters in homes will mean many more opportunities to benefit from flexible energy use.
A smart insulation wrap could keep your whole house cosy in the winter and cool in the summer, reducing your heating and cooling bills.
Time for a cuppa? Your future fridge could tell you when your milk’s gone off!
Where the magic happens! Just ask your automated wardrobe to press and fold
your clothes before hopping into your
self-making bed.
Charge your car, and if you have spare electricity left over, sell it back to the grid for some extra spending money.
Relax on the settee while your smart home energy hub, connected to your smart meter, turns your appliances on and off, depending how much cheaper, renewable energy is available.
You don’t have to wait until 2070 to take your first step into the future – you can request a smart meter right now.
The amazing space-age gadgets in the house of the future are a little way off yet, but one piece of energy-aware tech has already arrived.
Smart meters represent the next generation of digital gas and electricity meters. They provide automatic readings and near-real time information on energy usage for households.
As Maggie Philbin says: “Getting a smart meter for your home is a simple thing that will help you make the most of tech advancements, especially when it comes to how we use, and pay for, energy.”
Smart meters make it easy to see where you might make small changes that can reduce your energy consumption and also lower your energy emissions. This can help lead to lower energy bills and a smaller carbon footprint so you can help tomorrow’s world today.
As Maggie says about having one installed: “Do it for yourself, do it for your family, and do it for your country!”
Get a smart meter*
Future fruit
Thanks to indoor hydroponics (the science of growing plants without soil), we could soon be able to grow fruit and vegetables indoors, in a cabinet no bigger than a fridge.
Drone deliveries
The flying delivery drones could even
take your rubbish bags away too!
Face-reading
doors
NO NEED to remember your keys when your house can remember your face!
An infrared scanner on your front door, programmed to recognise you and your family, could secure your property. So no more searching for keys under the sofa!
KITCHEN 2035
NEED more space for your birthday party, or expecting another addition to the family?
EXTERIOR 2035
FED UP with tearing your hair out looking for the right power cord for all your different gadgets?
BATHROOM 2035
THE HOUSE of the future could have more solar panels, or even a mini wind turbine to generate your own renewable energy.
BEDROOM 2035
WHO DOESN’T love a juicy fresh strawberry? Well, how about a delicious crop straight from your own home?
GARAGE 2035
LIVING ROOM 2035
IT’S NOT quite a helipad, but one day every household could have a drone landing zone on the roof for the supermarket to drop off your shopping.
MAGIC Mirror on the wall, who’s the fairest of them all? Thanks to your smart mirror – it’s you!
BATHROOM 2070
EXTERIOR 2070
FANCY your very own personal gardener to keep your begonias looking their best?
WANT a quick health check while you take a tinkle?
KITCHEN 2070
BEDROOM 2070
BATHROOMS could use heat pump technology to capture the warmth from your hot bath water.
GARAGE 2070
LIVING ROOM 2070
TAKE THE SMART STEP TODAY
*Eligibility may vary