High-tech homes

For the first time since it started the biannual State of the Home survey, HomeServe asked homeowners across the U.S. about habits like using smart home devices—ranging from voice-controlled assistants like Alexa to video monitoring to smart light bulbs—and making repairs. The online survey, conducted by the Harris Poll, also asked about saving for a repair emergency and hiring contractors. Here are some of the key findings, released this week:

• 56 percent of homeowners own a smart home device, while 36 percent use at least one mobile app to manage something in their home.

• 18 percent of homeowners—and 31 percent of those with household incomes of less than $50,000—have no savings set aside for emergency repairs.

• 54 percent had a home-repair emergency within the past year—16 percent replaced an HVAC system, 14 percent repaired a toilet and 12 percent had leaky pipes.

• When faced with hiring a contractor, 41 percent turned to family and friends for a referral, versus 27 percent who searched online for help.

Source: businesswire.com