From the Editor

There’s a lot of value in having all stakeholders in the home construction process on board with smart home technology. As evidenced by the amount of smart home tech integration at the 2023 International Builders Show, home builders are beginning to embrace new opportunities for the addition and integration of sophisticated smart solutions in the homes and communities they construct.

According to the market research firm Parks Associates, consumers are more connected than ever before with an average of 16 devices in the home in 2022, which is up from 8.4 in 2015. Additionally, 38% of U.S. internet households have a smart home device, up from 18% at the end of 2015, 11% own a smart appliance, and 14% have a smart thermostat. Looking ahead, 25% of households report intentions to purchase a smart appliance in the next six months, while almost one-third plan to buy a smart light bulb (32%), smart plug (30%), and/or a smart thermostat (29%).

By building homes with integrated technology in mind, builders can help offer a single app solution that allows systems to interact. As an example, interaction between a smart doorbell and light can trigger a front-door light to turn on automatically when someone rings the doorbell after dark. It’s a message endorsed by the technology experts at Nice North America, home of the ELAN, SpeakerCraft, and Panamax brands.

“Incorporating proper technology infrastructure from the start creates a future-ready home that can support current IoT needs for the end user,” said Michelle Chesnut, director of builder services at Nice North America.

Builders have been providing three key pillars of infrastructure in the home for decades (HVAC, plumbing, electrical). But there’s a fourth utility today that builders need to focus on, which is the technology infrastructure. This includes wiring to key locations, incorporating a robust and professionally installed Wi-Fi network, and offering a future-ready hub that connects to smart devices.

There is also a need to help educate buyers on their options and what technology their home can support so they can make better, informed decisions in the home selection process.

The key reason for a builder to offer a standard is to provide the technology infrastructure for modern homes. This should cater to some of the most popular smart devices and features that end users want in their home, including a video doorbell, garage door opener, light switches, and thermostats.

Parks Associates reports that 60% of builders see smart thermostats as highly popular features for their production homes. Smart speakers, which are often the default control interface for home automation applications, have been selected as the user interface of choice by leading builders, such as Lennar, KB Homes, and Shea Homes.

Builders see smart home technology as a key benefit in the value of their homes — 82% are interested in offering whole-home energy management as a smart home use case — which is an important step for all parties — utilities, builders, and end users — to getting the solutions in place that deliver the energy services and data needed for a unified and comprehensive experience.

“By implementing a standard, builders can differentiate their new homes from those that don’t support smart devices,” says Bret Jacob, vice president, partnerships & business development at Nice North America.

When everyone partners and works in lockstep at the onset, it allows technology to be incorporated in the organic home selection process. Home buyers can choose customized smart home options alongside design decisions (i.e., flooring and counter tops). This synergy creates a more personalized experience for home buyers, while making sure all parties are working toward the same goal.