Builders are key to what actually ends up in a home, but how well do they know technology?
It’s a question I’ve often worried about.
So its heartening to see a big home builder survey out of the states showing that companies there are not only offering more home technology options, but reporting that they’re actually installing them at higher rates too.
The big news is that over two thirds of builders are now offering features like intelligent lighting, multi room audio, automation and energy management. It’s even higher for monitored security, home cinema and, the number one offering, structured wiring-or smart wiring as we know it here.
All home tech categories have kept rising over the last five years, but some like intelligent lighting and home automation have basically doubled.
It’s a similar story for installation rates. Structured wiring is by far the biggest business for builders doing home tech, but all categories have seen rises in five years, especially intelligent lighting, home automation and energy management.
The key thing I think from all this is that today’s homebuyers are very comfortable with technology, happy to play around with it, demand it, and want it to show off to their friends and save time. And clearly builders are hearing the message, well at least in the States.
Is it the same here? I’ve met most of Australia’s home builders over the last decade, from the biggest to some of the smallest, and I can tell you from experience that their embrace of home technology has been, in most cases, a cautious one.
At the high end of the market the smart home argument is however, now well and truly won I can tell you that, with clients demanding state of the art technology and the best builders delivering what they want.
Ben Green, Push by Schneider Electric’s General Manager, recently did a blog confirming that homeowners are now getting behind smart home tech here, predicting that smart appliances, entertainment, sensors, and remote control apps will all be big this year.
Builders I hope you thinking the same.
John Fennell, CEO International Copper Association Australia
Study: http://www.cepro.com/article/percentage_of_new_homes_with_lighting_control_doubles_over_2_years/CTA
Ben blog: http://about.homely.com.au/blog/2016/2/2/smart-home-automation-trends-for-2016