The Invisible Load Index Conducted By Samsung Reveals The Hidden Burden Of Europeans’ Daily Household Tasks

• Household tasks are causing a substantial drain with Brits spending 76% as much time thinking about tackling household tasks as actually doing them.

• 89% of Brits believe their household could operate more efficiently – and are open to technology’s potential to help ease the load (43%).

• Samsung launches the ‘Invisible Load Index’ to quantify the hidden burden of household tasks and show how people can ease their load and free up their time with SmartThings.

LONDON, United Kingdom – February 12, 2024 – New research conducted by Samsung Electronics reveals that Brits spend 76% as much time thinking about tackling housed tasks as actually doing them^[1]. This time – from the physical restlessness to the mental pre-occupation before any given task starts – is manifesting itself as an ‘Invisible Load’ and is impacting how people spend their precious time at home.

The study, which comprised of over 6,000 respondents^[2] across Europe, reveals that the average Brit is responsible for at least eight tasks in their home, often totaling more than 30-hours per week. Almost equating to a full-time job^[3], this is having an adverse effect on households with 50% of respondents admitting to feeling stressed at least half of the time, and almost half (46%) regularly struggling to focus on everyday tasks. Heightened by the cost-of-living crisis, three in five (59%) of respondents confirm that the cost of energy has affected household tasks, making them more stressful and difficult to manage.

The research identifies the top 15 household tasks completed on a regular basis, including general household cleaning, grocery shopping, and managing utility bills. Each task is ranked in order of intensity – based on the emotional and physical demands Brits attribute to undertaking them. The research revealed that, despite the increased availability of advanced smart home technology and platforms such as SmartThings to manage connected living, Brits are spending almost as much time – and in some cases more – mentally preparing to undertake regular household tasks, when compared with the time they spend doing them. Examples include:

• Brits spend 98% as much time thinking about washing the dishes as they do carrying out the task itself.
• Brits spend 86% as much time thinking about home security as they do taking action to prevent household threats.
• Brits spend 84% as much time thinking about cooking meals as cooking the meal itself.

To help redress the balance in Brits’ households, Samsung has launched the Invisible Load Index, developed in partnership with best-selling author and happiness expert, Mo Gawdat. Using a first-of-its-kind formula (Invisible Load = Intensity x Time x Frequency) it enables anyone to calculate their own Invisible Load by examining the physical load of the household tasks they are responsible for, as well as the mental burden associated with them. To calculate your personal Invisible Load score visit: https://www.samsung.com/uk/explore/brand/the-invisible-load/.

With 89% of respondents believing that their household could be more efficient and almost half (43%) open to technology’s potential to ease the burden of household tasks, the Invisible Load Index also provides users with simple SmartThings solutions to help them live more efficiently and save time for the things that matter most.

For example, to help reduce concerns about managing and paying household bills, SmartThings Energy^[4] enables you track the energy usage of your home appliances at a glance and even monitor non-smart devices via Smart Plugs^[5] To save more, you can activate AI Energy Mode^[6] and manage energy consumption below a pre-set target. To help reduce the burden of doing the laundry, the SmartThings app enables you to start your wash remotely and notifies you when the cycle is finished, so wherever you are, you can start the cycle and know it will be finished when you get home.

Mo Gawdat commented: “I’m honoured to collaborate with Samsung to develop the Invisible Load Index and help Europe to uncover the hidden burden of everyday household tasks with this indicative scoring system. How we spend our time at home is a fundamental aspect to our overall wellbeing, so it’s important to implement healthy habits into our daily routine to help manage our to-do list with ease. With the help of SmartThings, it’s possible to automate certain household tasks and significantly improve the quality of our free time at home.”

Nathan Sheffield, Head of IOT and SmartThings, Samsung Europe added: “At Samsung, we are always looking for ways to help people save time and lighten the load. SmartThings unlocks a simpler, smarter and more connected world. There are currently over 300 partner brands supporting over 3,200 connected devices. By giving you complete control of your home, and importantly your household tasks, it frees up your time to connect to the things that matter the most. Through The Invisible Load Index, we wanted to encourage conversations about the task load in households across Europe. By encouraging people to become more aware of their Invisible Load we hope they can use the powerful benefits of technology to help them lead a more balanced life.”

For more information on the Invisible Load Index visit: https://www.samsung.com/uk/explore/brand/the-invisible-load/

For more information on SmartThings visit: https://partners.smartthings.com/explore

[1] Based on the average time that Brit respondents say they spend thinking about/prepping for all the household tasks they are involved in (27 hours), calculated as a percentage of the time that the same group spends completing these tasks (31 hours).

[2] Research conducted in October 2023 by FleishmanHillard TRUE Global Intelligence in partnership with Focaldata, consisting of 6,066 European consumers, from the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Spain, Italy, and Poland.

[3] Based on the average full-time working hours for people aged 20-64 in Europe being 37.5 hours in 2022, according to Eurostat, the EU’s official statistics office.

[4] SmartThings Energy service availability varies by country, region, or device. Available on Android and iOS devices (Android OS 9↑, iOS 14↑). A Wi-Fi connection and a Samsung Account are required. All devices need to be registered in the SmartThings app to monitor energy

[5] Compatible Smart Plug and Smart Home Hub required. Smart Plug should be registered on SmartThings app. Energy Usage monitoring with Smart Plug is available in the “Smart Plug” product card under “Device” tab on the SmartThings app.

[6] AI Energy Mode feature may vary by country, region, or device. It can switch all of your compatible smart appliances to Energy Saving mode either automatically or if your estimated monthly electricity bill exceeds your pre-set target. (ex. Refrigerator: optimizing compressor speed and operation and adjusting the set of freezer temperature) The energy usage and estimated cost shown in SmartThings Energy may differ from your actual usage and cost.