Developments in home technology have grown at a staggering pace over the last few years, and homeowners are quickly turning to devices that offer them more convenience, efficiency and financial flexibility. Experts have suggested that the number of multi-connected devices, known as ‘the Internet of things’ will grow to over 26 billion by 2020, a thirty fold increase on today’s figures and a market valued at over a trillion dollars.
In a survey carried out by Honeywell, nearly half of all homeowners (47 per cent) said they would be interested in having a fully connected smart home where they could control everything from a tablet or phone. When asked why, 71 per cent cited lowering their energy bills.
Installers mirror this enthusiasm, and are keen to re-position themselves with customers as ‘smart’ installers in this emerging market. 74 per cent of installers admitted they would like to be capable of providing fully-integrated systems, and 86 per cent stating they would be eager to learn more about smart home technology.
However, if smart homes are to become a viable solution for homeowners, they need buy-in from the industry as a whole, and that includes manufacturers, installers and builder’s merchants.
71 per cent of installers said they would buy their smart gadgets from a local builder’s merchant, demonstrating a clear demand for smart stock. Equally, manufacturers have a responsibility to work more closely with merchants, helping to ensure they are stocking the right products and providing or signposting the right training.
Likewise, electrical wholesalers – which are still the first port-of-call for 47 per cent of electricians when looking to buy smart technologies – need to be fully equipped with both the products and the information they need to supply the electrician.
There is a whole new market emerging which is there for the taking for the UK installer and their merchant. The key is tapping into it.
For more information, or to download the full white paper, please visit http://www.honeywelluk.com/news/Smart-homes-of-the-future/
