Home Tech Predictions
As the housing downturn and economic conditions worsened through the past few years and custom builders around the country have taken on more remodel and renovation work, so, too, have many of the custom technology installers and integrators who typically work with them.
Ric Johnson, president of electronic systems contracting firm Elite Systems Solutions and R L Johnson Construction Services in Waynesfield, Ohio, says that much of his companies’ work has switched from new construction to renovations—mainly for aging in place. Johnson, who also sits on the board of the NAHB’s Home Technology Alliance, has seen his clients’ home technology focus shift more toward safety, security, and energy-use monitoring over the past five years.
In the next five years, he says, “I think we’re going to continue to see a stronger emphasis toward reducing our energy footprints and being green, so we’ll see more energy management tied to life safety systems that will allow the client to monitor the impact of leaving an extra light on, for example, or setting back the air conditioning a few degrees.” Particularly as more local utility providers implement smart grids, which use digital signals to control electrical use on the demand side, energy management solutions will gain ground in homes—systems such as lighting controls, automated window shades, digital programmable thermostats, and load-shedding devices that eliminate phantom electrical use by appliances and components that are always plugged in.
“We’re also going to see a lot more clients looking to expand their living space and make it more comfortable so they can do a lot more home-based entertaining rather than going out,” Johnson predicts. Such cocooning is already being made easier by the continual development of new multimedia technologies that deliver entertainment directly into the home and allow users to control their viewing options, such as Netflix, DVRs, other subscription services, and online broadcasting outlets, such as Hulu.com. Johnson also sees gaming becoming more popular across all age groups and requests for game rooms with multiple screens and inputs increasing.
Similarly, Mitch Arthur, founder and CEO of Norwood, N.J.-based Living Intelligent, also has experienced a shift in his firm’s business to about half new homes and half remodels, renovations, and commercial work. Though many custom home clients still have plenty of discretionary income, many who once would have signed off on a home technology decision without hesitation now are stretching the process out, taking longer to learn more and consider the benefits and costs of the systems they’re interested in before approving purchases, Arthur notes.
In addition to the more common structured wiring, multimedia systems, and lighting controls, Arthur’s firm recently has started offering other home technologies such as solar installations and energy management systems. “Those things are likely to become more integrated with each other moving forward,” Arthur says, noting that the simpler and more automated technology becomes, the greater benefit it delivers.
“I see energy management, if deployed properly, as being a really good part of our business,” he adds. “Because everyone really wants to save money on energy and technology is a big part of energy efficiency.”
