Critical Assessment Of The Hidden Carbon Footprint Of Smart Home Devices In Nigeria

Abstract

Smart home devices represent the flagship of modern residential living. They integrate Internet of Things (IoT) technologies, artificial intelligence (AI), and sophisticated automation plexuses to facilitate efficiency, security, and comfort. While these advancements are eulogised for their eco-conscious potential, their hidden carbon footprints remain underexamined, especially in developing contexts like Nigeria. This study thoroughly examines the hidden environmental costs of smart home devices in Nigeria, with emphasis on their operational energy demands, embedded carbon during production, and the ecological burden of cloud infrastructures that support AI-enabled functionalities. Nigeria presents a unique context for this inquiry due to its fast-paced growth, tech adoption, epileptic power supply, and overarching dependence on carbon-intensive options such as fossil-fuelled power generators. A mixed-methods research design was adopted, merging systematic literature review, real-time energy tracking, life-cycle assessment (LCA) data, and semi-structured discussion sessions with occupants and energy experts across selected urban and peri-urban Nigerian locales. Findings reveal a sustainability paradox: while intelligent high-ends can lower household energy consumption by up to 30% through enhanced usage, this gain is often eroded by spiking energy consumption statistics of cloud-based data hubs and AI processing. The dearth of localized LCA structures and regulatory oversight in Nigeria worsens the problem of clinically quantifying the net carbon impact of these technologies. This study proffers key strategies to lower the hidden carbon footprint of smart home devices in Nigeria, including localized eco-designs, integration of renewable energy plexuses, sustainable procurement of electronic components, and encouragement of responsible digital usage. Moreso, it pushes for policy structures and industry standards customized for the Nigerian context towards aligning smart technology implementation with national and global carbon reduction objectives. This way, concerned stakeholders will be offered viable insight into balancing digital innovation with ecological responsibility in a rapidly changing African market.