British homes could be transformed into hi-tech hubs with communication networks built into them, delivering everything from advanced entertainment services to health care by the end of the decade, a report by Intellect, the trade body for the technology industry, haspredicted.

The report, ‘Connected Homes – a Reality’, says that there could be a well established connected home market in five years worth €3.5billion a year.

Homeowners will be able to control energy use, access public services including education and healthcare as well as receive new media and entertainment services, all linked into a variety of devices including internet connected TVs, tablets and smart phones.

But the report warns that the lifestyle revolution will only happen if industries and government come together to agree technical and security standards provide training and certification for retailers and installers and actively promote consumer confidence in the technology and support on offer. Broadband speeds will also need to be increased to at least 6Mbps.

Colin Batten, Intellect’s head of internet and media, said: “The connected home has been talked about for sometime but it is now potentially the next big technology revolution. Most homes already have islands of technology but the truly connected home will be more than just an aggregation of different services and devices.”