Intelligent Home: Smart House, High-Tech Abode, Automated Dwelling
Almost every fifth homebuyer today aspires for smart home systems in their new home. Even many residents of 'dumb' houses dream of it. A smart home, where keys are not required, lights turn on and off automatically, elevators come to your floor without being called, where coffee is brewed according to your favorite recipe in the morning, blinds close in the evening, and mirrors tell the weather - this is a reality of our time.
Recently, telecom experts discussed future smart home technologies during an all-Russia webinar. Local builders in Krasnoyarsk, upon request from DELA, shared insights about smart solutions used in new residential complexes in Siberia's millionaire city.
The webinar on smart home technology took place on the platform of the company "Rostelekom." Participants of the online meeting discussed new standards, main challenges, and surprising trends in the development of intelligent residential living, from various viewpoints.
Smart Technologies - Already in GOSTs
A large survey was conducted by the company in October. According to this research, 80% of homebuyers of new apartments are familiar with the concept of a smart home, more than 22% are interested in buying a 'smart' home. And 23% already own properties where such solutions are used to some extent.
Digital services are increasingly spreading in our lives, and since February 1, 2025, in Russia, standards for smart homes, developed by major providers with the participation of the Ministry of Digital Development, Industry and Trade, and the Ministry of Construction, have come into force.
This is part of a larger project for digitalizing housing and utilities (H&U). The Russian standard assumes several clearly defined categories of 'smart' multi-apartment buildings - it will be easier for buyers to orient themselves among the offers of apartments, by comparing various options in new constructions, explained a director of one of the corresponding departments of "Rostelekom" Dmitriy Rogozin.
A basic set of the 'digitized' home - this is IP doorphones and security cameras, smart locks, pressure, temperature, and leakage sensors, fire alarms, adjustable lighting, automatic heating control, and much more. These smart home solutions, along with other smart living solutions, significantly increase their safety and comfort for residents, reduce energy consumption and overall costs for communal resources.
Today, smart home services are offered by many companies working in the field of information technology. Projects by the national operator are called "Rostelekom. Key". This ecosystem consists of several components: outdoor, services for access and control of the home and its territory; indoor - such as lighting, climate, security control for apartments; high-speed internet.
"RosTelekom Key" is used in many cities: more than 6,100 homes are connected to the service. Residents manage their apartments through mobile applications on their smartphones. Among the unique features - the provision of access codes for guests or information about available parking spaces. However, the sets of services are constantly evolving.
Smart Homes in the Heart of Siberia
Which homes have become smart? Today, smart new buildings are located in different districts of Krasnoyarsk.
- Medical City: Chizhi
In new residential buildings of the large Krasnoyarsk construction company, the company "Arbana," the share of smart buildings equipped with various smart home technologies is around 30%.
A striking example of such a building - a high-rise district Chizhi in the Medical City (Chizhi district). On the gates leading to the yards, smart panels with facial recognition technology have been installed.
"Thanks to the facial recognition technology FACE-id, keys, phones, or chips are no longer needed for opening gates. Similar panels are installed on the entrance to the elevator," - they told our publication in the company.
In the buildings, surveillance cameras are installed in all public areas - in the yard, on the parking lot, near storage rooms. The situation can be observed on your smartphone by switching between cameras. Archive footage can also be viewed.
In the smart buildings, entrance doors are fitted with smart handles, which can be opened in several ways: through a fingerprint scanner, a digital code, an NFC tag on your phone or smartwatch, or remotely from a mobile application.
"Carrying keys with you is no longer necessary, the problems of 'lost or forgotten keys' for the residents of Chizh do not exist," - they explain in "Arbana".
In addition, in all buildings, smart meters have been installed for automatic collection, transmission, and receipt of utility meter readings (meter with radio output), electricity, and heat.
Thanks to the company's own mobile application "Arbana," residents can see meter readings and information about utility bills, pay for communal services, make requests to the housing department, open the gates and elevators, issue visitor passes, and monitor security camera footage in real-time. and call the emergency service, if necessary.
"Here is the digitalization of life, plus complete confidence in your own safety on the entire territory of the technological complex," - the company concludes.
- Ketshovelly, South Bank, New Academy
Smart homes by another famous Krasnoyarsk construction company, "SM.City," are the high-rise buildings in the Ketschovelly city quarter, South Bank buildings number 12, and the districts New Academy, No74, 78, and 80.
The basic standard for them - this includes such technologies as leak detection, remote monitoring of utility meter readings, and the display of readings in the tenant's personal cabinets on a mobile application from the company. In addition to this, in the buildings to be completed in 2024, features such as control over access to the territory, parking by chips or digital keys, video calls from the intercom system, anda additional feature is the smart keyless entry system: residents just need to have a digital key to have the door open, and it opens automatically.
In "SM.City," it is noted that home buyers expect to receive a comprehensive product, and smart home solutions are also part of this on various transaction stages.
"Responding to the specific needs of our target audience, the company is currently forming an ecosystem, accompanying the client throughout the entire path from choosing the apartment to comfortable living. Functional parts of this system - interaction with the constructor on all stages of the transaction, the digital management company, and the basic set of smart appliances for the apartment," - they commented on the topic for our publication.
The basic set of smart home systems is available to homebuyers of all new buildings "SM.City," except for White Quarters, where only video intercoms and video surveillance are implemented.
- Birch in the Yudinskaya Valley and Mint in the Sunny
Their smart new buildings are also owned by a group of construction companies, "Omega." This includes, for example, the residential complexes Birch in the October district and Mint in the Soviet district.
Thus, in the new buildings, a video surveillance system has been integrated through the application "Closed Yard" and remote access control for the territory, elevator access, and underground parking.
With a view to efficient use of electrical energy, motion sensors have been installed in the entrances and on the parking lot, which regulate the lighting. Street lighting automatically turns on with the onset of twilight (not at a specific hour around the clock), providing optimal illumination of the yards. Additionally, in-apartment smart meters have been installed for automatic collection of utility meter data.
In Birch, there is also another feature - the first autonomous gas boiler house in Krasnoyarsk, which operates using an automatic power regulation technology based on weather conditions.
The temperature in the apartments is maintained at the desired level under the control of an individual thermal unit in each building. This heating system does not produce emissions, making the Birch residential area attractive as an alternative to suburban housing.
So, what about the prices?
Contrary to expectations, the smart "fittings" of Krasnoyarsk houses do not significantly increase the price of the apartment or only moderately increase it. Thus, in "SM.City," they say that all solutions are included in the basic standard and are already included in the price of the apartment - "no additional charge is made to the buyer."
In the "Arbana" houses, for a buyer who chooses between a 'smart' and an 'analog' premium-class apartment, the difference in price is not significant.
"Thanks to the fact that this direction in Krasnoyarsk is only gaining momentum, no extra fees are charged for smart home solutions," - the builder says. Therefore, it is currently more advantageous to choose a 'smart' apartment: "for the future."
In the buildings of "Omega," the elements of the smart apartment system also have little impact on the cost of the apartment. The company notes that the reason for this is that the smart solutions are currently offered in a limited format.
However, the situation will change in the future. Because, for builders, the smart apartment system is a considerable expense.
"A smart apartment system, with the ability to centrally control heating, lighting, appliance operation, climate control, and security systems - currently there is no such system in any residential complex in the city. The main reason for this is the high cost of both the implementation and operation. A single air conditioning system, for instance, could cost several thousand dollars per month in addition to the monthly rent," - the representative of the builder says.
In "Arbane," they agree that smart apartments cost "significantly more" for builders, but the smart home system in the Chizh district is a unique selling point and is an additional motivating factor for choosing a smart apartment complex.
"Investments in modern technologies, smart systems, energy-efficient solutions, and other innovative elements require considerable initial and ongoing expenses during the project design and construction phases. These costs, as a rule, are not fully reflected in the final selling price per square meter," - they comment in the company.
Therefore, in the future, smart apartments with advanced features compared to today's smart buildings will cost significant amounts of money.
"Providing apartments equipped with a full smart home system will significantly affect the cost of the property. A fully comprehensive smart home will probably never be implemented in mid-range apartment buildings in the future due to the high cost and the complexity of the technical implementation, as well as the low current demand for such solutions in the market," - the company concludes.
By the way, about the demand. Indeed, in Krasnoyarsk, it is not widespread yet. However, it is growing every year. At "Omega," there is a growing number of homebuyers interested in smart apartments, but this is currently less than 10%.
At "SM.City," the number of requests is increasing, and the residents of the buildings closely use the mobile application to interact with the management company, with over 95% of apartment owners and more than 80% interacting electronically with the management company. In "Arbane," they highlight a specific group of buyers who require smart apartments, consisting mostly of young people and young families, who prefer smart living spaces.
"What can I do for you?": Virtual Doormen in Smart Homes
When implementing smart systems in new buildings, local builders work with various service providers: "Rubetech," "Gra-service," "Oriol-telecom," and also use their own AI specialists.
At the same time, builders have the opportunity to use federal proposals based on Russian developments. One of the unique features of the services offered by the national operator - the organization of security work in collaboration with the state sector. For example, the use of doorphones for emergency notifications, providing simultaneous access to shelters, and so on. In "RosTelekom," they believe that the greater the safety, the greater the demand for smart apartment buildings.
In the distant future, the demand for smart apartments is still not even being discussed: smart apartments will become the norm.
Participants of the webinar were actively discussing trends in the development of smart home technology. Among the predicted trends for such technologies are a focus on comfort in intelligent residential spaces. In addition, in the near future, we can expect "simplification" of the use of services: controlling the smart home should be very easy.
The center of control of the entire intelligent appliance system may become smart columns, such as "Alice," "Marusya," or "Siri." Today, the share of smart home control through smart columns is about 40%. However, voice control may eventually become a thing of the past.
"The future belongs to artificial intelligence. An ideal smart home will work imperceptibly for the user. For example, you go out in the morning to the kitchen, and the home recognizes that it's you, not your wife or child, and turns on comfortable lighting, brews coffee according to your preferences. I believe that the use of AI will be the main trend in smart homes in the next 10 years," - Dmitriy Rogozin of "RosTelekom" commented.
Finally, the future of smart homes - monetization. Today in the IT industry, there are no clear mechanisms for making money from smart homes: sales are limited to hardware. However, in the future, we can expect the emergence of comprehensive products, for example, subscription packages, which would include cybersecurity services and support for smart apartments by specialists.
Futurist and expert of the Russian Academy of Sciences Alexander Kononov spoke about smart apartments during the webinar. He spoke about the fact that smart technology will penetrate every home, enhancing our safety and comfort. We can expect fantastical scenarios, such as the introduction of virtual doormen, who will manage the maintenance and care of apartments, and even the appearance of fully functional robots to assist with everyday tasks.
"A smart home will become your friend and assistant, and comfort will be provided by many different devices," - the researcher concludes.
While the smart living concept is still in development, Alexander Kononov predicts that all new buildings in Russia could become smart by 2040.
Tatiana AlekseevaKrasnoyars NDTK
In the future, smart technology could extend to the realm of real-estate finance, as investors may find interest in properties equipped with smart home systems, given the increased comfort, energy efficiency, and security they offer.
With advancements in technology, the role of artificial intelligence (AI) in managing smart homes is predicted to grow significantly in the next decade. AI will allow homes to adapt to individual residents' preferences and needs, providing a more personalized living experience.
