In this empirical study, we explore the user acceptance of smart home technologies by asking: How do people perceive their opportunities and drawbacks? What factors shape their perceptions? What implications does this have for future energy savings, sustainability, and policy? Based on a mixed methods approach involving three focus groups (N = 18) and a nationally representative survey of adults (N = 1032) in the United Kingdom, we explore the demographics, preferences, and risks of smart home technology. We do this via the lenses of knowledge and adoption; energy and climate sustainability; and vulnerability and exclusion. We explore how different classes of people—adopters versus non-adopters, high-income versus low-income, women and men, old versus young—support or oppose smart home technologies, have different degrees of knowledge and misperceptions, and reveal very different perceptions about the practices enabled by smart homes. In doing so, we show at times compelling links between smart homes and energy consumption, and possible negative impacts to poverty, inclusion, and empowerment.

在这项实证研究中，我们通过询问以下内容来探索用户对智能家居技术的接受程度：人们如何看待他们的机会和弊端？哪些因素会影响他们的看法？这对未来的节能，可持续性和政策有什么影响？基于涉及三个焦点组（N = 18）的混合方法方法以及在英国进行的全国代表性的成年人调查（N = 1032），我们研究了智能家居技术的人口统计学，偏好和风险。我们通过知识和采用的方式来做到这一点；能源和气候的可持续性；以及脆弱性和排斥。我们探索了不同类别的人（采用者与否者，高收入者与低收入者，男女），老年人与年轻人如何支持或反对智能家居技术，拥有不同程度的知识和误解，并且对智能家居所采用的做法表现出截然不同的看法。通过这样做，我们有时显示出智能家居与能源消耗之间的令人信服的联系，以及对贫困，包容性和赋权的可能的负面影响。