In an interview with Kaushik Sanyal, National Head – Group Captive & Enterprise Accounts, Tata Power, conducted by TimesTech, he discusses how AI-powered automation, retrofit-friendly technologies, and the company’s ‘100 Cities, 1 Motive’ initiative are making smart homes more accessible across India. He also shares insights on energy optimisation, consumer adoption trends, and the technologies expected to shape the future of connected living.
Read the full interview here:
TimesTech: What are the biggest barriers to smart home adoption in India, and how is Tata Power addressing them?
Ans: The biggest barriers to smart home adoption in India have traditionally been affordability, awareness, and the perception that home automation is only meant for luxury homes. Many consumers also believe that installing smart home solutions requires extensive rewiring or renovation, making the process complicated and expensive; it needs support from technical expertise for installation and troubleshooting.
Tata Power is addressing these challenges by offering a wide range of smart solutions across different price points, making home automation accessible to a larger audience. Our retrofit solutions eliminate the need for rewiring, allowing customers to upgrade their existing homes with minimal effort. With advancements in technology, Tata Power EZ Home products are largely DIY in nature. Anyone comfortable using smartphones and IoT devices such as smartwatches, Amazon Alexa, or Google Home can install EZ Home products with support from local electricians.
Alongside product innovation, Tata Power is actively driving awareness through city-level product launches, roadshows, retail demonstrations, electrician training programs, and our ‘100 Cities, 1 Motive’ initiative. Our objective is to educate consumers that smart homes are not just about convenience—they also enhance safety, security, and energy efficiency while remaining affordable and easy to adopt.
TimesTech: How is AI-powered home automation helping Indian households save energy and reduce electricity costs?
Ans: AI-powered home automation enables homes to become more intelligent by learning user behaviour and automating routine activities. Instead of appliances operating unnecessarily, smart systems can schedule, monitor, and optimise their usage based on occupancy, time, and individual preferences.
Features such as smart scheduling, timers, remote control, and appliance-level energy monitoring help consumers identify energy-intensive devices and optimise their usage. Users can also switch off appliances remotely if they are accidentally left on, reducing unnecessary power consumption. As AI continues to evolve, predictive automation and intelligent energy optimisation will further improve efficiency, helping households lower electricity bills while contributing to a more sustainable lifestyle.
Tata Power EZ Home’s AI-powered solutions continuously monitor your electricity consumption in real time and predict whether your current monthly usage is likely to exceed your target electricity bill. The solution also assesses whether the load during the current billing period is likely to breach the contracted utility load limit.
When such a situation is detected, the system identifies high-energy-consuming appliances that are currently switched on. It also checks settings such as air conditioners operating below the recommended temperature of 24°C and immediately alerts customers, enabling them to take corrective action and optimise their energy consumption
TimesTech: Why do you believe retrofit, wire-free solutions will drive the next phase of smart home adoption in India?
Ans: India’s housing landscape is rapidly evolving, with a significant proportion of urban consumers living in rented apartments or existing homes where rewiring is neither practical nor economical. Retrofit solutions address this challenge by allowing customers to convert conventional homes into smart homes without breaking walls or changing existing electrical infrastructure.
These solutions are quick to install, cost-effective, and can be easily removed and reinstalled when the homeowner relocates, making them ideal for tenants as well as homeowners who may move into a new house in the future. Their flexibility, combined with lower installation costs and minimal disruption, significantly reduces the entry barrier to home automation. As consumers increasingly seek practical and affordable smart living solutions, retrofit technology is expected to become a major driver of market growth.
In addition to that, Tata Power EZ Home’s retrofit and wireless solutions enable customers to install additional devices in multiple phases without any change in the infrastructure.
TimesTech: How are security, remote monitoring, and safety features influencing consumer demand for smart homes today?
Ans: Consumer expectations have evolved beyond convenience, with safety and security becoming key purchase drivers for smart home solutions. Homeowners increasingly want the ability to monitor and manage their homes remotely, especially when they are travelling or away from home.
Features such as remote monitoring, overload protection, and smart safety devices provide greater peace of mind. Security solutions like Tata Power EZ Home’s SOS Panic Button enable users to instantly alert family members during emergencies through app notifications, SMS, and automated calls. Similarly, devices such as gas leak detectors and other smart safety solutions help detect potential hazards before they escalate. These technologies not only improve home security but also enhance everyday safety, making smart homes more relevant for families, senior citizens, and working professionals.
TimesTech: How will Tata Power EZ Home’s ‘100 Cities, 1 Motive’ initiative make home automation more accessible beyond metro cities?
Ans: The future of India’s smart home market will be shaped as much by emerging cities as by metropolitan centres. Rising digital adoption, increasing awareness of electricity costs and growing aspirations for better living are creating strong demand across Tier 2 and Tier 3 markets.
Our ‘100 Cities, 1 Purpose’ initiative reflects this shift. It is not simply an expansion programme; it is our commitment to making smart, safe and energy-efficient living accessible to households across India.
Through this initiative, Tata Power is steadily expanding EZ Home Automation Solutions across multiple cities with the long-term vision of reaching one crore households. Supported by local channel partners, experience centres and retail networks, consumers can easily adopt retrofit-friendly solutions such as smart switch converters, touch panels, smart sockets and motion sensors without major home renovations.
Beyond expanding footprint, Tata Power is expanding awareness. By demonstrating how intelligent automation can reduce electricity bills by up to 20%, improve electrical safety and optimise energy consumption, Tata Power is helping consumers recognise home automation as an essential part of future-ready living.
Accessibility is not just about reaching more cities; it is about making sustainable and intelligent energy management attainable for every household.
TimesTech: What technologies do you think will shape the future of smart homes in India over the next five years?
Ans: The future of smart homes in India will be driven by greater integration, intelligence, and interoperability. Consumers will increasingly expect a single user interface app that seamlessly controls lighting, appliances, energy management, security systems, video door phones, gas leak detectors, EV charging solutions, and other connected devices.
Artificial Intelligence will play a larger role in enabling predictive automation, personalised experiences, and intelligent energy management. Cloud connectivity, voice assistants, and IoT-enabled devices will continue to make homes more responsive and user-friendly. Additionally, growing consumer focus on safety, smart energy management, and sustainability will accelerate the adoption of integrated smart home ecosystems that combine convenience, security, and energy optimisation within a single connected application.
