Your home is the most expensive item you will ever purchase, and we Irish are a nation of people who like to own our homes. Is it any wonder that we like to fill our homes with all of the modern appliances that make life more comfortable for us. Perhaps we all have a little bit of “keeping up with the Jones’s” in us, so we are always upgrading or replacing things, and ensuring that we have the best and brightest and the latest model of everything in our homes.
It is therefore hard to believe that electrification of rural Ireland was only finalised in 1965 and not all homes were fully connected until 1975!
Back in the seventies labour saving machines were enhancing the day to day work of the typical stay at home Mum, and devices like Twin Tub washing machines, Vacuum Cleaners, Electric kettles, Food Mixers, and Soda-Streams were a sign that you were successful and had made it. You would have more time to relax in front of your Black and White Television in the evenings and, if you were doing really well you had a telephone in the hall. Home security wasn’t really an issue, in fact, you probably left your doors unlocked.
As the eighties crept in, our standards and expectations had increased, and with more women working outside the home, most families had Automatic Washing Machines, Colour Televisions with remote controls, wall mounted portable TV’s in the master bedroom, VHS Players, Sandwich Toasters, Dish Washers and the newest thing, the Microwave Oven. There was now usually a phone in the hall, with an extension in the bedroom! People became more conscious of crime and robberies and attempted to make their homes more secure.
Along came the nineties, and with this decade came En-Suite Bathrooms, Utility rooms, Bigger Televisions, DVD Players, Eco-Rated Kitchen Appliances, American Fridge Freezers. The Internet was a new thing, and while the internet was not quite available in every home yet it was coming. By the late nineties, laptops were replacing the computer in the corner of the kitchen. The other big thing for this decade was the explosion of the mobile phone. We could not have anticipated in the nineties just how much this would change peoples’ lives! We were fitting Burglar Alarms and CCTV systems on our homes to protect all of the fancy and attractive stuff we had accumulated.
How could things get any better? How could we get any more sophisticated than the nineties? Welcome to the Noughties. We have flat screen TV’s, we have smart washers, dryers, ovens, dishwashers that have digital controls and beep at us when done. We have gone all healthy and have George Foreman Grills and we can check everything on Google. There is broadband in nearly every home, and the phones have gotten smart. Very smart in fact. We can now control our Intruder Alarms from our phones and we can record any suspicious activity around the home on our CCTV which can be connected to our laptops and phones.
So along comes the current decade, your TV could not get any flatter, any thinner, any wider unless of course, you installed a home cinema system.
There are TV’s in every room, we have underfloor heating, we have centralised vacuum cleaning systems, the fridge makes ice, and warns us when the food is about to go off…..the kids all have tablets, we have laptops, we have smarter than smartphones, we have google, Spotify, apps for keeping fit, apps for dating, apps for music, heating, lights, alarms all controlled by your phone…….how we truly have evolved since those simple times in the seventies.
One thing remains the same however, we need to protect our treasured possessions against any unforeseen accidents, damage, and weather-related catastrophes and our worst nightmare of all, intruders and theft.
At KennCo Insurance, we provide discounts on your home insurance for protection against intruders, theft and fires. Whether you are a homeowner, renter, first time buyer or landlord we can provide peace of mind with Home Insurance to suit your individual circumstances. Contact us today for details on 014092600 or fill out a quote online here!