The demographic makeup of the UK is rapidly changing. The United Nations forecasts that by 2043, those aged 65 years and above will account for 24% of the population.
However, another study by English Housing Survey (2020-21) found that 1.1 million older adults live in homes that do not meet the government’s Decent Homes Standard, which includes efficient heating guidelines.
Indoor environments that are too cold or too hot for sustained periods present potentially serious health risks and financial implications for residents, and further strain on the NHS.
These figures highlight the urgency of providing more homes that meet the needs of an ageing population.
Smart technology has an important role to play in making housing resilient. Systems can automatically optimise comfort and energy use, and alert carers if residents need help.
The appetite for smarter homes is growing. Samsung’s Smart Home Buyers Index 2024 found that 88% of respondents aged over 65 wanted a smarter home – larger than any other age category.
With ABB as one of its technology partners, Cartwright Pickard and The Helen Hamlyn Centre for Design’s study, Age-inclusive design principles: Shaping a sense of belonging in later life, aims to develop principles for age-inclusive buildings.
It looks at the microclimate from the outside in: from orientation and design, to the technologies that can enhance the living experience.
The study outlines the importance of the local climate, such as the wind and solar conditions that can affect energy consumption, and air quality.
In city centres, it says attention should be given to mitigating the urban heat island; the Met Office says anthropogenic climate change could produce UK summers up to 6.8ºC hotter in the coming decades.
In the UK, recent heatwaves such as the 40°C+ temperatures of 2022 exposed homes’ lack of resilience. CIBSE now defines residential overheating as when the internal temperature threshold of 26ºC is surpassed for more than 3% of the time.
Exceeding this limit can negatively affect residents’ health and comfort. Smart technologies can help manage the internal climate in a warming climate by combining automation with greater independence and control.
Technologies currently in play include PIR Sensors that can detect when a room is unoccupied and automatically switch off heating. They can also enhance safety by alerting the care team if a room that should be occupied appears empty, or is occupied and potentially overheating.
Energy Efficiency Control systems prevent the simultaneous operation of heating and cooling systems and adjust accordingly when they detect windows are open, ensuring systems are not working against each other.
Wall-mounted controllers allow older residents to operate smart home systems from convenient locations. Ease of use is provided by a connected system of sensors, smart switches, sockets, and actuators for motorised curtains, blinds, and window openers.
Compatible with Apple, Amazon, and Google assistants, voice control also simplifies the operation of home systems to programme heating times. ABB’s i-bus KNX system allows easy addition of voice control through a software update.
This smart technology is already being embedded in age-inclusive designs for new developments including at Brobyholm in Sweden, which will eventually see 2,500 smart homes fitted with smart energy systems that will optimise comfort and energy use.
Smart-living Swedes
The Brobyholm estate by S. Property Group is a pioneering age-adaptive living development in Stockholm, with 500 homes to be completed by 2025 and a total of 2,500 planned.
Residents have access to an integrated smart home solution combining ABB-free@home and Samsung SmartThings, managed via an app or device. Each home features an energy management system that optimises energy use across appliances, lighting, cooling, heating, and blinds.
The system prioritises renewable energy for heating and cooling, reducing emissions and energy bills and optimising thermal comfort. Surplus solar energy heats water tanks, while low solar energy triggers energy-saving modes. The system adapts to residents’ habits, using geo-fencing data to pre-heat or pre-cool homes.
About the author
Kevin Lenton is product marketing director for ABB Smart Buildings UK