British homes are harbouring unused gadgets and electrical devices worth more than £37 billion*, according to research by Aviva insurance. A study of 2,000 British consumers unmasks us as a nation of hoarders, discovering that the typical home is host to redundant tech items worth around £1,414 on average. Common dust-gatherers include kitchen gadgets, old mobile phones, personal grooming kits and garden tools:
| Type of gadget / device | Number of unused gadgets per typical UK household | Typical cost of each device (to nearest £) | Total value of devices (to nearest £) |
| Kitchen appliances e.g. food mixers, smoothie makers, toastie makers etc. | 1.95 | £70 | £136 |
| Old phones. | 2.05 | £69 | £141 |
| Utility appliances e.g. washing machines, driers, fridges etc. | 1.1 | £162 | £178 |
| Electrical tools e.g. drills, sanders, saws etc. | 1.9 | £96 | £182 |
| Home entertainments e.g. games consoles, speakers, CD players DVD players etc. | 2.19 | £105 | £230 |
| Lifestyle tech e.g. hair straighteners grooming kits, razors etc. | 1.76 | £82 | £144 |
| Electrical gardening equipment e.g. lawnmower, leaf blower, hedge trimmer etc. | 1.37 | £136 | £186 |
| Other | 1.12 | £193 | £216 |
| TOTAL | - | - | £1,414 |
The research has been commissioned to support the MyAviva app which allows customers to manage their policies and get access to exclusive offers and rewards. It is available for iPhone, Android and iPad devices.
The research also found one in four respondents (27%) had a more cavalier approach to unwanted appliances, saying they had either sold or re-gifted gadgets they had received as presents.
Popular items which have been ‘re-homed’ include hair straighteners, mobile phones and kitchen appliances:
| Item received as gift | Percentage of people who received item as gift, who then sold / re-gifted this item |
| Mobile phone | 29% |
| Hair straighteners | 27% |
| Games console | 27% |
| Toaster | 26% |
| Smoothie maker | 24% |
| Tablet | 23% |
| Food processor | 21% |
| Coffee machine | 20% |
| Electric razor | 19% |
| Camera | 19% |
Stephen Pond, MD Prevention & Services, Aviva says: “Digital innovations mean we’re changing the way we do certain things, such as listening to music or watching TV. This often means we don’t use particular devices any more, so we put them to one side and replace them with different models.
“Each time we get a new piece of ‘tech’, the value of our possessions increases, so it’s important we have adequate home contents insurance in place, both in and away from the home.
“Many of us also admit to getting tempted by the latest ‘must have’ items. As well as the latest mobiles, people are increasingly interested in using technology to protect their homes, for example connected smart home security devices. It seems we’re a nation of gadget lovers, so it’s great that technology is now helping to protect what’s important to us.”
Find out more and which policies are available on MyAviva by visiting www.aviva.co.uk/myaviva-app
Media enquiries:
Sarah Poulter +44 (0)1904 45 2828 / 07800 691569 / sarah.poulter@aviva.com
Notes to editors:
Research carried out by Censuswide on behalf of Aviva. 2,010 adults across the UK were interviewed in February 2016.
*Figure based on average value of unused items per home based on figures from sample of 2,010 adults surveyed (£1,413.77)
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