Smart Refrigerator Makers Should Focus on Energy Saving Potential, Says NPD Analyst

As the connected refrigerator continues to search for a place in the smart home, it has “one heck of a challenge ahead of it,” said NPD analyst Eddie Hold in a blog post. LG launched the “Internet refrigerator” in 2000, promising to let consumers know when they’re about to run out of food staples and place an online order to the grocery store. The use case seemed far-fetched then and still does, said Hold, but the smart icebox concept hasn’t gone away. At IFA last week, a smattering of refrigerators showed that appliance becoming smarter because use cases were more relevant, said Hold. The new smarter fridges learn a family’s usage patterns and can “prepare accordingly, pumping up the power before we begin to raid the fridge” allowing the unit to stay cooler during peak periods, said Hold. A family going on vacation can set a reduced power mode to save energy, he said. Hold compared the function to that of a smart thermostat, which can similarly save consumers money, the third reason consumers cited in NPD’s connected home automation report for embracing home automation solutions. Energy monitoring is a “far more compelling reason for purchasing an 'advanced’ refrigerator than some dream about managing your shopping list,” said Hold. That is key because awareness is low, with only 10 percent of consumers having heard of a smart refrigerator and only 4 percent being “somewhat or very” familiar with the devices, he said.