Hager is seeing strong
growth in smart-home system installation
[ Spotlight: Smart homes ] Smartphone apps are
increasingly being used to control smart-home systems remotely
and audiovisual (AV), security, and window and door operations, as well as energy metering and monitoring. This all means that the smart home industry is in a period of intense change, according to Will Brocklebank, board member of the Custom Electronic Design & Installation Association (CEDIA) and director of Face to Face Digital. He says: ‘This is mainly because of the “box and app” revolution – good examples being the Nest Learning Thermostat, Philips Hue bulbs and Piper security system. These products take the form of a network-connected box with an accompanying app on a smartphone to confi gure and monitor it. They can be purchased by the homeowner directly from the manufacturer or from major online and high street retailers.’
Purchasing criteria This trend is already encouraging a much larger percentage of the population to evaluate and purchase smart-home technologies. ‘The smart homes industry has historically been somewhat confi ned to high-end residential projects where cost is no object,’ says Phil Williams, product marketing manager for power distribution components at Eaton UK. ‘But with so much discussion in the market about energy saving, control and smart metering, more and more people are becoming aware of these smart technologies and the many aff ordable systems now becoming available.’ According to Richard Hayward, lead marketing manager for Legrand’s wiring devices business, the top end still dominates the market. He says: ‘The big change here is the number of developers that are now installing lighting, AV and temperature control systems as standard fi t, rather than off ering them as an optional extra.’ So how much is the sector growing? Steve York,
market manager for building automation at Hager, says: ‘We estimate the growth in the market to be in
More and more people are becoming aware of these smart technologies and the many aff ordable systems now becoming available
the region of 15-20 per cent per year.’ Kevin Norman, senior product marketing manager at Newey & Eyre, adds: ‘A study by AMA Research found that while the UK home automation market was estimated to be worth around £65m in 2011, this fi gure is set to spiral to £156m by 2016.’
See hear When it comes to the AV side of things, most people are now accessing or storing media content on a personal device or via the cloud, which they can access from multiple devices. ‘Being able to control our homes from our
personal devices is an increasing trend,’ says Legrand’s Hayward. ‘Switching the heating on with your smartphone so that the house is warm when you get in, for example, is a huge convenience.’ Streaming is another popular trend, one that
The advantages of smart metering
Smart meters off er accurate real time information on the amount of electricity being used
Consumers can see the amount of energy they are using in an easily understandable format and can change the way they use energy in the home to save money
Smart meters will support renewable energy technology Reduces the possibility of energy theft by making detection easier Smart meters will allow for a huge variety and increased sophistication of electricity tariff s
Electricity suppliers can level the peaks and troughs of demand. This can be achieved by providing cheaper electricity for low demand periods and by increasing the prices for higher demand periods
Smart meters can communicate between the supplier and the consumer, which will mean that bills will be accurate and will bring an end to estimated billing
Smart meters provide the potential for electricity used by domestic appliances to be managed in more a dynamic way
March 2014 ECA Today 33
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