Author: Peggy Smedley

For more than a decade, we have been talking about how builders can put technology—back then it was called AHT (automated home technology)—in new homes as a competitive advantage when selling houses. Today, it is no longer a competitive advantage; it is expected by consumers. So, what exactly should go inside new homes? The answer is long and short. If we were to sum it up in a word, it would be sensors. Sensors enable homes to become smarter. They can create more convenience in the home, while also providing an environmental impact. However, ABI Research suggests it is the…

One question I always like to ask during a one-on-one interview with executives is: What is keeping you up at night? The answer to this question will inform decisions made in the organization and which technologies are ultimately implemented. This is why my interest was piqued when I was reading through Gartner’s second quarter 2022 Emerging Risks Report, which was published in July. Concerns about a macroeconomic downturn has rapidly ascended into the top emerging risk facing organizations today. What’s more, there is a high degree of interrelated risks that need to be addressed. Gartner actually surveyed 306 senior executives…

Climate change is impacting homeowners in myriad ways. From the hurricanes in the South, to the wildfires out West, to tornados in the Midwest, natural disasters are on the uptick and homeowners need to be prepared by living in resilient homes. Perhaps it’s long overdue, but we really need to take a closer look and narrow in on the drought-stricken areas of the world. Average drought conditions across the nation have varied over time. The 1930s and 1950s saw the most widespread droughts. During the period from 2000 through 2020, roughly 20-70% of the U.S. land area experienced conditions that…

Tomorrow’s infrastructure needs to be resilient and connected if we ever intend to fulfill the objectives of its users—and simply that needs to be built today. AI, (artificial intelligence) ML (machine learning), cloud computing, the IoT (Internet of Things), and digital twins can be applied in myriad ways, constructing and designing the most massive and impressive infrastructure of the future. With more than 80,000 centerline miles of highway and more than 14,000 employees statewide, TxDOT (Texas Dept. of Transportation) has a vision to provide mobility, enable economic opportunity, and enhance the quality of life for Texans. To meet these goals,…

Supply-chain officers have several risks that regularly need to be assessed—many of which can be evaluated by leveraging digital technology. One such example is the risk that climate change poses to our supply chain. Many realize climate change risks are materializing and are beginning to identify what this means for supply chains. While there are perhaps too many risks to name, some include the impact of rising sea levels on transportation and the influence of increasingly extreme weather on all industries, just to name a few. From wildfires threating lumber to hurricanes barraging seaside industries, the effects are wide and…

The housing market has been surging for years, but with talks of an economic downturn ahead, is builder confidence finally starting to dip? Let’s take a look at some of the more interesting numbers, breaking it down between builder confidence and the remodeling market. NAHB (National Assn. of Home Builders) conducts the NAHB/Wells Fargo HMI (Housing Market Index) monthly and it also releases the NAHB/Westlake Royal RMI (Remodeling Market Index) quarterly—both of which have declined in July. Developed from a monthly survey that NAHB has been conducting for more than 35 years, the NAHB/Wells Fargo HMI gauges builder perceptions of…

For the past two years, many people have been talking about IAC (indoor air quality) in homes and buildings and how that is a key factor in helping to prevent the spread of diseases. With this at the forefront, the Biden-Harris Admin., has been taking some big steps to stop the spread of COVID-19 and improve indoor air quality. The administration and Congress have provided hundreds of billions of dollars in federal funds that can be used in schools, public buildings, and other settings to improve indoor air quality. The American Rescue Plan provided $350 billion for state and local…

Mark Zuckerberg isn’t the only person waging big with the metaverse. Nearly every executive I know sees big potential with this technology and it could completely disrupt the way we do business in manufacturing, energy, automotive, retail, construction, healthcare, pharma, and beyond. This is a conversation I had in late June with Lucia Mirabella, head of design and simulation systems at Siemens, and it is still very much a topic I am unpacking. The reality is different parts of a company are going to do different versions of simulation and these all may somehow get painted as either the digital…

Appliances are one of the largest consumers of energy in our home and often contribute to a higher energy bill. The more we use our appliances, the higher the energy bill. Today, let’s dig into how much energy common home appliances use, so we can look to reduce energy consumption and take a big bite out of our monthly utility bills along the way. NOPEC is a nonprofit energy supplier in Ohio that provides competitive energy cost savings to residents and small businesses through a buy-in-bulk approach and breaks down how much each appliance consume. HVAC (heating, ventilation, and air…

Digital transformation offers big opportunities for construction companies to keep projects on time and on budget, ultimately improving efficiencies and the bottomline. But with it comes a unique set of challenges, one of which is the need for greater security. And the construction industry has some greater risk than others. The trends related to cybersecurity in construction are vast, and ABI Research touched on a few of them in its The State of Cyber & Digital Security Report. The report points to multiple in-depth trends to watch including citizen digital identities, new cybersecurity applications, digital payment technologies, industrial cybersecurity, telco…