As you'll know from our previous posts - one of things the Lab is exploring is:

Can technology equip people to be more informed and educated about their home?

As part of the test we have targeted a mix of customer groups to work with us over a year - to see if the use of smart home technology can help them run their home more efficiently.

Yesterday we were out talking to more customers - this time in Lichfield in Staffordshire, to seek more participation in the trial.

What's interesting is how enthusiastic customers are to take part , and the information they are willing to share with us.

We have made it very clear that they are part of a test - and rather than being experimented on , they are being experimented with.

As part of the test we'll be keeping in touch with the customers on a regular basis - which will involve them in the co-design of further tests, anonymised case studies and customer blog posts.

Some things we picked up from our latest visits:

Often it's the people who would benefit the most from smart technology who want it the least. We've definitely learned not to talk about the tech and to focus on the problem we are trying to fix.
We've picked up some unsurprising feedback from older people (who regard themselves as young) at the lack of imagination and patronising nature of "elderly services". As one of our participants said "I don't want grab rails - I want solutions to be less obtrusive"
People are quite wasteful in the ways they heat their homes (we are including ourselves in this sweeping generalisation) and there are huge opportunities for us to improve lifestyles.

More news as it develops