The Growth of Smart Appliances at Consumer Electronics Show

One of the trends we're seeing at Consumer Electronics Show this year is the growth of smart appliances and that doesn't just mean appliances that you can talk to over the Internet. It means appliances that can help you manage things like energy consumption and your overall home environment in ways that you couldn't before.

A good example of a smart appliance is a refrigerator from Samsung, which not only has an LCD TV on the front but also features advanced functionality. The refrigerator includes a grocery manager that allows you to input food that you're buying and it will tell you when you're running out of certain food and what you should be adding based on things like nutritional needs and how quickly the foods expire. Unfortunately, there are no scanners inside that will automatically measure the food and tell you when you're running low, so you have to enter the information yourself. However, this feature is a step in the right direction in terms of helping you manage your food budget.

In addition to its grocery manager, the Samsung refrigerator also includes smart grid functionality to manage your energy usage and it will help you manage your refrigerator temperature without having to open the door or adjust the settings manually. This smart appliance demonstrates how technology can be integrated into everyday household items to improve efficiency and convenience.

Another notable example of a smart appliance at the Consumer Electronics Show is an energy efficient oven that has been seen by many reviewers, including those from Consumer Reports. While this particular oven may not be unique in its energy-efficient design, it does represent a growing trend in products like this as part of the overall consumer electronics business.

In contrast to some other appliances that may have similar features, there is one device that stands out for its ability to control your home's energy usage from anywhere. This device allows you to set your thermostat and adjust settings remotely using your smartphone. If you forget to turn up the heat before leaving for a trip, you can do so with this device, preventing pipes from freezing. Conversely, if you leave the house for an extended period of time without adjusting the temperature, you can change it back down to conserve energy.

The concept of smart home technology has been around for several years now and has often been met with skepticism or jokes about when it will finally become mainstream. One running joke was that this would be "the year" that smart homes catch on, but that has been a recurring theme for the past 10 years. Despite the lack of widespread adoption so far, we are seeing more companies take a greater interest in developing these types of products.

There are several factors that contribute to the growth and increasing popularity of smart home technology, including the expansion of broadband internet penetration, energy subsidies, and tax subsidies that make it more attractive to consumers. While it's difficult to predict whether this will be "the year" that connected homes finally become mainstream, Consumer Reports will continue to monitor developments in this area and provide updates on these emerging technologies.

In conclusion, smart appliances are becoming increasingly common at the Consumer Electronics Show, offering homeowners a range of innovative features that can improve efficiency, convenience, and overall living experience. With more companies developing products like this and consumers becoming more aware of the benefits of smart home technology, it will be interesting to see how this trend continues to evolve in the coming years.

Mark Pon for Consumer Reports

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enone of the trends we're seeing at Consumer Electronics Show this year is the growth of smart appliances and that doesn't just mean appliances that you can talk to over the Internet it means appliances that can help you manage things like energy consumption and your overall home environment in ways that you couldn't before this refrigerator from Samsung is a good example um it has an LCD TV on the front which is kind of cool but it also has other functionality it has this grocery manager where you can input food that you're buying and it'll tell you when you're running out of certain food and what you should be adding based on things like nutritional needs and how quickly the foods expire unfortunately there are no scanners inside that'll actually measure the food and tell you automatically you have to enter the information but it's a a step in the right direction in terms of helping you manage your food budget it includes smart grid functionality to manage your energy usage and it'll help you manage your refrigerator temperature without having to open the door door um over here energy efficient oven we've seen a lot of these this is nothing necessarily unique to Samsung but what is patching on is just the growth of products like this as part of the overall consumer electronics business same thing with this washer here it's an energy efficient washer um we've reviewed a lot of energy efficient washers and you can look them up in our ratings um but they're coming becoming much more popular at events like this as they become part of the overall consumer electronics mainstream this is um a device that will let you control your home's energy usage from anywhere so theoretically if you're set up properly and you have this smartphone you can set your energy usage on the road if you remember that you forgot to set your thermostat and your pipes are going to freeze you can turn that thermostat up conversely if you've left it too high and you're going to be using tons of energy when you're away for a week you can change your thermometer your thermostat directly from here now this whole smart home concept has been around for a while and one of the running jokes is this will be the year that it catches on and that's been a running joke for about 10 years but we are definitely seeing a lot more companies take much more of an interest in this especially as the products are catching up as the penetration of broadband internet has C caught up and as things like energy subsidies and tax subsidies have made it more attractive to Consumers so will this be the year the connected home finally catches on we're not sure but we're definitely going to keep watching and keep reporting back to you I'm Mark Pon for Consumer Reportsone of the trends we're seeing at Consumer Electronics Show this year is the growth of smart appliances and that doesn't just mean appliances that you can talk to over the Internet it means appliances that can help you manage things like energy consumption and your overall home environment in ways that you couldn't before this refrigerator from Samsung is a good example um it has an LCD TV on the front which is kind of cool but it also has other functionality it has this grocery manager where you can input food that you're buying and it'll tell you when you're running out of certain food and what you should be adding based on things like nutritional needs and how quickly the foods expire unfortunately there are no scanners inside that'll actually measure the food and tell you automatically you have to enter the information but it's a a step in the right direction in terms of helping you manage your food budget it includes smart grid functionality to manage your energy usage and it'll help you manage your refrigerator temperature without having to open the door door um over here energy efficient oven we've seen a lot of these this is nothing necessarily unique to Samsung but what is patching on is just the growth of products like this as part of the overall consumer electronics business same thing with this washer here it's an energy efficient washer um we've reviewed a lot of energy efficient washers and you can look them up in our ratings um but they're coming becoming much more popular at events like this as they become part of the overall consumer electronics mainstream this is um a device that will let you control your home's energy usage from anywhere so theoretically if you're set up properly and you have this smartphone you can set your energy usage on the road if you remember that you forgot to set your thermostat and your pipes are going to freeze you can turn that thermostat up conversely if you've left it too high and you're going to be using tons of energy when you're away for a week you can change your thermometer your thermostat directly from here now this whole smart home concept has been around for a while and one of the running jokes is this will be the year that it catches on and that's been a running joke for about 10 years but we are definitely seeing a lot more companies take much more of an interest in this especially as the products are catching up as the penetration of broadband internet has C caught up and as things like energy subsidies and tax subsidies have made it more attractive to Consumers so will this be the year the connected home finally catches on we're not sure but we're definitely going to keep watching and keep reporting back to you I'm Mark Pon for Consumer Reports\n"