No matter the industry, the end of any calendar year brings with it the myriad recap and forward-looking reports with the intent of shaping the discussion over the ensuing 12 months. I, for one, enjoy the opportunity to dig through the data in order to make sense of the numbers and how a brand may or may not spin them.
When it comes to the connected home, two of the most common entrants for a consumer into the category have been lighting and security. And, as it so happens, two of these year-end reports were dropped by Lutron and Vivint that explore how homeowners (and, to an extent, design professionals) view the lighting and smart home/security categories respectively.
On the Smart Home
Vivnt’s How We Home report, done in collaboration with market research firm OnePoll, surveyed 5,000 U.S. homeowners to understand how technology use in and around the home has evolved over the past five years, and what will drive demand moving forward. The full report was interesting to flip through (and you can do so here), but the key point that can be drawn out of it for the CI and design communities are those dreaded barriers to entry—the reasons why consumers opt to purchase, or avoid purchasing, certain types of smart devices.
According to the report, convenience, integration, and cost are the three biggest considerations among homeowners and areas in which they have expressed a need for improvement. Of those surveyed, 63 percent said they prefer to have all of their devices integrated into a single app or one platform—another 20 percent said that too many different apps or ecosystems has resulted in them not making a purchase, while 18 percent said incompatibility with a current platform forced them to look for a different product. These scenarios sound like a prime opportunity for the custom integrator to provide the education and service necessary to help a homeowner overcome those struggles.
The other challenge, though, is cost—something that a DIY homeowner will pay particular attention to up front. But, again, with a little education from their local integrator, they could realize long-term savings in the form of fewer replacements, better hardware management, and energy efficiency.
To that end, 77 percent of homeowners said they were most interested in a smart home solution that could provide holistic energy management and efficiency.
“This study reveals a clear direction for smart home providers: offer devices that integrate together and create a level of personalization, convenience and accessibility that truly makes their daily lives much easier – not busier and not more cluttered,” William Stovall, Sr. Vice President of Marketing at Vivint, said in a statement.
On Lighting Design
It’s no big secret that lighting has dramatically increased in importance in the custom integration channel, particularly among those high-end luxury projects. It’s been one of the main avenues into the design and homebuilder communities, giving integrators a much earlier seat at the table than ever before.
Integrators aren’t alone in their awareness of the importance of lighting. According to Lutron’s recent Living with Light report, conducted in coordination with The Harris Poll, 94 percent of residential interior designers and architects said that their clients believe lighting is highly important in the home. Among the industry professionals themselves, the report found that 52 percent of designers and architects believe the right lighting can elevate even the most modest space while, conversely, 47 percent believe the wrong lighting can devalue even the highest-end architecture and finishes.
In addition to the fixtures in a home, the report explored views and trends around natural light as well. Not to be overlooked, more than half (59 percent) of affluent homeowners indicated that daylight was just as important as artificial lighting in their home. And nearly the same percentage of industry pros said it was important for them to integrate natural lighting into their final designs.
In both instances, there’s growing interest among homeowners in the use of automation or technology (42 percent have shown interest in preset/curated lighting scenes; 38 percent are interested in automated shades). But there seems to be some hesitation to actually deploy smart tech in their homes (41 percent of designers said client comfort with smart automation is a challenge, while only 9 percent of homeowners said they use those preset/curated scenes; only 11 percent of homeowners actually use automated shades). Again, this appears to be an opportunity for an integrator to influence the education around automated lighting and shading in the home.
It’s encouraging, across both reports, to see the increasing interest in smart technology and design. But it’s also apparent that education is still a critical need across the entire ecosystem. It’s unclear through the research if the design/architect professionals need support in their efforts to educate clients on the capabilities and simplicity in the home automation world. Regardless, it is clear that the opportunity exists for integrators to have a much louder voice and more important role in the adoption of these technologies.
