The three ‘easies’ of home automation

While we all have our opinions on what’s driving or holding back the uptake of home automation, I’ve personally reached the conclusion that the real ‘gatekeepers’ of the rate of adoption of home automation are electrical contractors. That statement might ‘ruffle a few feathers’, but I’ve drawn that conclusion from lots of market analysis, speaking with home owners, builders, developers, real estate agents, integrators and equipment suppliers. If you’re an electrical contractor, I believe the future of home automation is in your hands. So what’s holding you back?

The mainstream home-automation systems that we’ve been familiar with over the past decade are quite sophisticated, providing home owners with remarkable lifestyle enhancements and significant home-value improvement (read the home-automation case study in this issue to see what’s possible when a specialist integrator is given an elaborate brief and large budget to give a home the ‘wow factor’).

However, it’s mainly the top end of the housing market that has warmed to home automation to date. And the contractors who cater to it are either fully geared up for it or subcontract it out to specialists. This is because it takes high skill levels in design, cabling and programming, that many electricians are either not capable of or disinterested in, to warrant giving it a go.

All too often, I’ve heard electricians say: “If it was much simpler, I’d give it a go.” Well, if you’re one of those people who said this, perhaps that day is finally here for you to ‘give it a go’.

In my most recent research, I spoke with professionals who either supply or use cost-effective home-automation systems, specifically designed for the mid-range home and renovation markets. And, in listening to their comments, I’ve concluded that home automation should be an easy choice for all involved. So, I’ve compiled three ‘easies’ of home automation that should evoke a little more thinking about home automation.

Easy #1 - Easy to install

“Simplicity is the new direction in home automation,” says Pulset Director, John Shidiak, whose company recently released a modular home-automation system. “Not necessarily simple for just home owners, but more so for installers.

“We were electrical contractors before starting Pulset so, when we design products, our first consideration is making it intuitive to install. That way, electricians can install it quickly and shouldn’t have to go back to fix or change things.

“This should give them a fresh perspective on home automation, because it’s as straightforward as installing twin cable around the house.

“Sparkies know their wiring layouts and codes very well so, before we designed our system, we figured ‘why force them to have to learn a new way to wire to install automation?’. Instead, we put the ‘smarts’ into the switches to keep the wiring simple. All sparkies have to do is connect the switches and light fittings in their normal manner with twin-and-earth and add an additional twin cable between the switches. It only adds a few hundred dollars of cable and labour to a typical domestic installation. Coupled with the added costs of the smart switches, the overall cost increment is around $1000, which is minor compared to the enhancement to the home’s electrical system. Imagine then upselling this to home owners for, say $2000-3000 - they’d be rapt and you’d add good margin to your installation.”

In researching this article, I noticed a profound move away from complex and sophisticated home-automation systems, and more toward modularity and simplicity, particularly to capture the mid-range domestic projects. A number of companies are either offering or planning to offer home-automation systems that are less complex to wire and require minimal programming to set up.

Easy #2 - Easy to program

Many contractors I’ve spoken with over the years said their greatest hurdle with home automation was programming. I can understand that aversion because, unless you’re really into software, the thought of converting dozens of wiring connections and device locations into a complex series of ‘if/then’ instructions would put most tradespeople off altogether.

While some suppliers have released home-automation systems that require considerably less programming nowadays, Shidiak says his system took a completely different approach - it requires no programming at all by the installer: “You have to understand that it’s the home owner who’s most interested in what the automation system will do for them, because they’ll be living with it. The installer doesn’t - he simply moves on to the next job. Home owners are the ones who want to create lighting effects that revolve around their lifestyles, so it makes sense that they program the system.

“The good news is, you don’t need a computer, university degree or week-long training course to program the system - it’s all done with the switches. If you can program a clock radio, you can program this automation system. Every switch plate has nine light switches and three programming switches. Following the simple instructions in using the switches, home owners can set up their lighting system exactly as they want, and change it whenever they want. So that means no more annoying call backs for the sparkie to ‘fix’ the system because the client wanted it ‘slightly different’ to the way the sparkie programmed it.”

Managing Director of automation integration firm mySmart Peter Garrett has found that many contractors want to take on automation projects, but can’t justify the in-house expertise needed, especially with large and complex home-automation systems. He says: “Smart contractors will offer home automation to their clients to upsell their own services. But they don’t tackle the system themselves. They bring in experts like ourselves to do the client liaison, system design, installation, programming and on-going support. Sparkies do the wiring - that’s what they’re good at. We do the automation - that’s what we’re good at. Specialists generally have lots of experience, so we know the right way to deploy home automation and how to avoid the wrong ways.”

Easy #3 - Easy to use

Home automation should be easy for home owners to use. It’s the basic message that’s been marketed to them for years, but it’s not uncommon for home owners to shy away from home automation because they think it’s too complex for them to operate.

“Many people contemplating building a home are warm to the idea of home automation,” comments Garrett. “Recognising this, many home builders include home-automation options in their ‘luxury’ packages, along with premium finishes like stone kitchens and bathrooms.

“Some people like the ‘luxury’ connotations, while others like the lifestyle enhancements or potential energy savings. It should be understood that home automation doesn’t necessarily mean complex, high-end systems like AMX or Crestron. Depending on what benefits home owners are looking for, home automation could simply be some sensors, for a few hundred dollars, that make their home secure or more energy efficient. The important thing is that they know how to use it and reap the benefits from their investment, no matter how large or small it is.”

Shidiak agrees that user simplicity is a vital message that contractors must convey to their clients when discussing home automation: “Home owners should view automated lighting control like a two-way switch, just on a larger scale. It’s really just an extension on a concept they already understand.

“We’ve also added LEDs on our switches, so users get tactile feedback on what lights have been grouped together.

“Something that really stood out to us in our research is that home automation is viewed as a valuable asset when a house is up for sale. But how much of a deterrent is it to prospective buyers if they’re faced with the thought of living someone else’s lifestyle or having to pay for a specialist to reprogram it to suit their particular lifestyle? That’s another factor in our decision to make our system user-programmable. The new owners can simply adjust the lighting control to suit their own preferences. Once again, if you can program a clock radio, you can program our home-automation system.

“That same principle applies to multi-dwelling unit and apartment projects, where developers can offer high-value, low-cost automation systems that both owner occupiers and renters can easily adjust to suit their specific lifestyles.”

‘Upsell’ rather than ‘downsell’

According to Garrett: “The principles of home automation are often more important that the technologies themselves. Electricians wishing to install home-automation systems should take a step back and analyse what their clients really want to do and then why they want to do it, before making any decisions. The subsequent answers should then determine the technological direction taken to deliver the objectives.

“The electrical industry should take a leaf out of what the plumbing industry does so well - upselling. It’s common for a plumber to send a client to a Reece showroom to pick out basins and taps, and then the plumber installs them. Reece branches have flashy showrooms with staff experienced in upselling consumers, while leaving the ‘mundane’ hardware out the back.

“In contrast, it’s not uncommon for electricians to downsell projects. Often they’ll look at a job and figure out how to simplify the installation to minimise the complexity, save some time and perhaps lower the cost. But, often, what’s in the client’s head is not the same as what’s in the electrician’s head. Maybe the client is looking for sophistication or leading-edge technologies and not so hung up about price. It’s advisable to explore the client’s expectations thoroughly to ensure you clearly understand what’s expected. And then, through the job, you should constantly remind yourself and the client that the choices that were made are perfectly adequate for the intended results.

“I believe electrical wholesalers should do more to promote home automation. They should set up home automation in the same way that plumbing stores showcase kitchen and bathroom fittings.”

Follow the hotel lead

Home automation is not just about lifestyle enhancement. Hotels are rapidly adopting home-automation systems as a key component of their cost-reduction strategies. Electricity represents a large percentage of their operational expense, so deploying technologies such as home automation to reduce their consumption, without compromising functionality, are highly desirable.

Home-automation systems are most suitable to deployment in hotels, as Garrett explains: “Hotels are quite shrewd in using home automation to optimise their operations. Basic occupancy switches that turn off electricity in unoccupied rooms have been around for years, but we’re now seeing intelligence being introduced into rooms. For example, smart HVAC systems monitor usage 24/7 to throttle back fans and compressors, to realise 20% energy savings without compromising occupant comfort. Everything about each room can be monitored and controlled for optimum performance - check-ins, check-outs, billing, security, entertainment, comfort, etc.

“Hotels tend to research home automation in greater detail than home owners. That’s because they’re deploying it in hundreds of rooms, not just a few, like in a home. If they get it wrong, multiply the error a hundredfold. But get it right - which they are - and they multiply the benefits a hundredfold.

“Naturally, the same sorts of savings aren’t achievable in single dwellings, but energy cost savings are a major benefit of home automation, regardless of the size of the application.

“If you’re tendering on construction or refurbishment projects for multi-dwelling accommodation like hotels, aged-care facilities, hostels or apartments, then setting up a demo room is a worthwhile investment. That way you can conduct live demonstrations of the technologies you’re offering, so the client, architect and consultant can experience the end results of home automation.”

Use ‘must-have’ devices to advantage

There’s no debate that iPods, iPhones and iPads are the ‘must-have’ gadgets for many consumers. Recognising this fact, Michael Grek, Managing Director of home-automation and AV equipment supplier KnowledgeHome, developed applications for iPod Touch, iPhone and iPad, to integrate a host of functions that enable home owners to automate them from their mobile devices.

“We saw the potential to integrate our control systems with Apple’s innovative consumer devices,” states Grek. “Since we develop the code for our automation systems, it was quite simple to write new code that would allow multimedia and other domestic devices to be controlled using web-enabled mobile devices. We enabled them to also access the internet from any TV in the home, as well as share audiovisual content and media with any combination of TVs around the house.

“We found that consumers are more conscious of enhancing their lifestyles through iPhones than through conventional home-automation technologies. They’re inclined to add ‘apps’ to their web-enabled phones, so they’re more receptive to clever ways to augment them. And home automation is so easily integrated with these devices that it makes a natural path to follow.

“They’re already used to accessing the internet and multimedia information from their phones. So it’s a natural progression to give them the ability to control their home lighting, heating, blinds and doors from these devices, as well as controlling where the information from security cameras, pay TV, media centres and DVD/Blu-ray players are directed from and to.

“KnowledgeHome provides a centralised information, multimedia and entertainment solution that’s accessible from any TV and is fully controllable using iPod Touch/iPhone from anywhere inside or outside a home. It integrates PC, LAN, video and audio distribution technologies to provide a seamless, easy-to-use and easy-to-control network throughout a home.

“More and more people every day are buying smartphones, so why not give them the ability to manage, control and enjoy their home from such devices as well.”

Conclusion

In my interview with Shidiak, he recounted his past experience, as an electrical contractor, that’s worth mentioning to provoke some self-examination. He said: “Many years ago, I moved from basic electrical wiring to installing alarms and CCTV systems because there was a huge demand for them, but hardly anyone was installing them. Back then, a lot of sparkies found them too hard, so they’d either walk away from the business or defer it to specialists who would charge a fortune for it.

“I made much more installing security systems than basic electrical services. And I think the time is right for sparkies to do the same now with home automation - add it to your service offering rather than deferring it to someone else to make money from it.”