Copeland has released the findings of its second ‘Smart Home Data Privacy’ survey which examines how smart thermostat users and non-users feel about data privacy and the security of their smart home products.
This is the second study to be undertaken by Copeland with ownership of smart home devices – including smart thermostats, TVs and appliances – significantly higher compared to when the first study was commissioned in 2022.
National Cybersecurity Alliance executive director, Lisa Plaggemier, said homeowners are more likely to be concerned about data privacy in 2024.
“As we can see by the rise in ownership of smart home products, homeowners are increasingly looking for convenient ways to automate their lives and expand control over their home environments to save on energy costs,” she said.
“But what’s most concerning is that more than half of homeowners don’t understand how data from their smart thermostat is collected and used – particularly as AI becomes nearly ubiquitous. This should be a resounding call for transparency among smart tech manufacturers.”
While the study shows that homeowners with smart home devices are more concerned than ever about the security of their data (27 per cent in 2024 versus 23 per cent in 2022), their understanding of and attitudes toward smart tech and data privacy show a critical gap:
- More than half of homeowners (52 per cent) don’t have any idea of how data is collected from smart thermostats.
- Homeowners who don’t own a smart thermostat are less likely to be confident that manufacturers use their customers’ data responsibly compared to those who own a smart thermostat (58 per cent versus 73 per cent), which could be evidence of a barrier to purchase.
- Only 14 per cent of homeowners who owned smart thermostats said they researched a manufacturer’s data privacy policy before purchasing a smart thermostat.
And yet, seven out of 10 homeowners are willing to replace their thermostat with one that provides more privacy, with millennials more willing (80%) than other groups.
As a leading innovator in the HVAC industry and the company behind the top-rated Sensi thermostat platform, Copeland was one of the first manufacturers to create a formal privacy pledge in 2022 and has since been a leader in protecting its users’ personal data, never using smart thermostat activity for targeting or advertising purposes.
Brendan O’Toole, vice president, smart home and energy management at Copeland, said the company has never sold a user’s personal data to anyone and does not make changes to thermostat settings based on usage assumptions.
“There’s always a role for data, particularly as it relates to a homeowner’s ability to optimise their home comfort and gain energy savings in the process, but those settings are theirs and theirs alone,” he said.
“As demand for smart home products continues to rise, it’s imperative for manufacturers to adequately disclose their privacy policies and educate consumers about the importance of data security,”