Is the smart home finally here? One big topic of conversation at last week’s NAHB (National Assn. of Home Builders) IBS (Intl. Builders Show) was the rise of smarter, more energy-efficient homes built with smarter, more energy-efficient building techniques. Let’s look at the state of the smart home.
To start, let’s review some numbers. At the very end of last year, CEDIA released its 2023 Professional Smart Home Market Analysis in partnership with Ancrage Consulting. Data was collected through short surveys fielded to integrators from July-Aug 2023 as well as through actual sales pipeline reports. The data found the U.S. professional smart home industry is estimated at $29 billion while the U.K. market is estimated at £2.9 billion.
Looking specifically at the U.S. market, 80% of integrators say they have sole or “a lot of” influence over customer purchasing decisions and the categories expected to grow the most in the next 12 months are lighting/shading, lighting control systems, and security systems. These are precisely the trends we saw in the Living Lab.
All about the Shades
For instance, motorized shades offer many benefits including greater energy efficiency, convenience, security, and privacy. As one example, PowerShades’ claim to fame is that use of the motorized shades can reduce total energy consumption in a home by up to 30%. In February, the company announced the availability of Version 2.0 of its TruePoE (Power over Ethernet) automated window shade.
A little bit of context here: Traditional RF (radio frequency) motorized roller shades are powered by a battery, low voltage DC (direct current) hardwired, and/or high voltage AC (alternating current); with any of these methods, they can be controlled through a remote control but must be charged every year. With PoE, that inconvenience disappears.
The new version of PowerShades PoE has new features including indoor shade size up to 19 feet, quieter motors, and 13 times more processing power due to upgraded CPU and electronics, just to name a few. Also, an enhanced networking stack will enable new features such as VLAN Tagging capable and IPV6 support. Further, there is a built-in web server offering configuration of motor and limits, modification of network setting, programmable dry-contact functionality, and advanced diagnostics.
The benefits include cloud connectivity, the ability to develop and deploy groups, scenes, and schedules, intuitive limit setting, and more.
Key IBS Takeaways
Certainly, motorized shades are only one example of how the smart home is advancing. At the builders show last week, we saw many examples, although there seems to be one overarching trend: energy efficiency is a priority for many.
Consider the case of NAHB’s official show home of IBS 2024—which it calls the New American home 2024—as an example. The one-level home with 7,722 sq.ft., contains a total of five bedrooms, five and one-half bathrooms, dual two-car garages, and a connected casita.
Certainly, with a connected casita, the home is full of the latest home automation advances, but it is the energy-efficiency that really stands out here. High-tech insulation, energy-efficient utilities, and state-of-the-art solar panels combine to give the home a registered HERS index of -45, meaning the show home is 145% more energy efficient than the average new home and 45% more efficient than a net-zero home. It is impressive to say for sure and I am looking forward to see homebuyers requesting this new home of the future.
Additionally, the home has earned NGBS (National Green Building Standard) Emerald status—the highest efficiency rating of NGBS—and will receive certifications from multiple Dept. of Energy programs, including: Energy Star, Zero Energy Ready Home, and Indoor airPLUS.
At the end of the day, this suggests a bigger move that homebuilders need to watch. The smart home is no longer enough—rather, now, homes need to be both smart and energy efficient. How will you build your next home?
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