Global Scans · Homes · Weekly Summary

WHAT'S NEXT?: The number of smart homes is expected to grow further and by 2020 it is expected 46.2 million homes in the US and 44.9 million in Europe will be classed as smart homes. By 2022 there could be nearly 500 smart devices that can be connected to a smart home.

• [New] Total water use in U.S. homes, businesses, institutions, and water distribution systems could be reduced by 25% to 60%. Pacific Institute
• [New] Rising use of lithium-ion batteries in UK homes is outpacing current product safety standards and called for urgent government action to address the resulting fire risks. International Fire & Safety Journal
• [New] Household consumption is expected to gradually ease as real wage growth slows, but investment is set to be stronger, supported by the completion of RRF projects in 2026. / Cyprus kappa
• [New] The 1 X NEO consumer humanoid home robot is the first to open preorders with a clear price and 2026 delivery window. Winssolutions
• [New] While housing affordability is likely to remain a challenge for the near future, lower interest rates and recovering real income growth should lead to a pickup in housing demand, and mortgage growth is forecast to rebound to 3.2% in 2027 and outpace current growth by 2028. EY
• [New] Companies such as Ring and Nest have popularized real-time monitoring, with global smart home security revenues projected to exceed $15 billion by 2025. Futurist Speaker on AI Leadership, Future of Work, Futu
• [New] Globally, 2.8 billion people face housing inadequacy; meeting global housing needs by 2030 requires building 96,000 homes every day. UNEP - UN Environment Programme
• [New] US-Norwegian startup 1 X is taking a similar approach for its humanoid home helper NEO, which it will deliver to American homes from 2026. Tribune Online
• [New] The new so-called 'mansion tax' charge will see the Treasury use the existing council tax system to revalue 2.4m of the most valuable properties across bands F, G and H over the next few years - representing one in 10 English homes. City AM
• [New] Senior housing and other residential subsectors, such as student and manufactured housing, will continue to expand as ageing US demographics create occupancy ripple effects across property types. SVN | Denver Commercial Real Estate
• [New] While the majority of pet owners in the region, 68%, consider their pets beloved family members, as in most other regions worldwide, there is a limit to how much they can and will spend on pet food, Puri posited. PetfoodIndustry
• [New] Ensuring Dubai remains the best and most beautiful city is a comprehensive process underpinned by the Dubai Plan 2033 and its economic and social agendas, which integrate economic and social growth to ensure happy and healthy individuals, families, and communities. Government of Dubai Media Office
• [New] Australians need to keep on top of general maintenance issues, such as leaky roofs, to not leave themselves exposed to the risk of their home and contents being more susceptible to damage from severe weather events. Insurance Business
• [New] IRA Home Energy Rebates are rolling out through 2025-26, offering point-of-sale rebates for heat pumps, weatherization, and electrification on top of existing 25 C/25D federal tax credits. NewsBlaze
• [New] The Residential sector is projected to register the fastest CAGR of 13.2% between 2025 and 2032, fueled by rooftop solar affordability, rising electricity prices, environmental awareness, and supportive policies enabling households to achieve energy independence and reduce carbon footprints. Yahoo Finance
• [New] The number of home sales is expected to increase next year as well, especially in the Prairies, including Alberta. Mortgages for Less
• [New] In 2025, 117 million U.S. households were expected to own at least one internet-connected TV device, with Baby Boomers more likely to use it. Statista
• [New] Northwestern Mutual's 2025 Planning & Progress Study finds 61% of adults expect to experience a long-term care event and nearly three-quarters say they would prefer to receive care in their own home rather than move to a facility. InvestmentNews
• [New] The adoption of preventive measures is anticipated to generate annual cost savings of $3.7 billion, fostering home health growth. HotBot
• [New] Check Point highlights the rise of AI-driven threats, including pharma scams using deepfake doctors and clinics, and AI-powered malware families that dynamically alter behaviour mid-execution, complicating detection and response. OffSeq
• [New] LAPD is expected to go door-to-door warning residents in high-risk houses. FOX 11 Los Angeles
• [New] Samsung will use Nvidia's cuLitho, CUDA-X and Omniverse platforms to deploy digital twins to boost yield and speed in semiconductor fabrication, and will also develop home robotics using Nvidia Cosmos and Isaac GR00 T. -
• [New] Due to affordability constraints, we may see more of a deflection towards units in cities such as Sydney in the short term but over the long term we still expect houses to outperform even if the premium on houses falls. The Urban Developer

Last updated: 22 November 2025