And of course, smart home services like Hive, Nest and Alexa would be dead in the water without not only connectivity but the ecosystem of other services around them. Even a typical washing machine costs more to run over its lifetime than it does to buy in the first place - so its service costs its energy efficiency will affect the customer's wallet more than its upfront product cost.
The fundamental realisation is that the actual "good" for customers is the utility of the service, not the "thing" that happens to be necessary to deliver the service. I want my house to be warm and well-lit, and my clothes to be clean. The heating system, lights and washing machine are just physical things that deliver the service, but it's the service that I want. In principle, I'd be happy to never have to think about - or buy - the physical things at all. In general, millenials don't seem to aspire to own "stuff" the way folks did in the 's peak of consumerism: why own a car when you can find a Zipcar within a few minutes anytime, use it on demand, and not have to worry about garaging, servicing, taxes, and all the associated hassle of ownership?
We're used to buying smartphones with a contract with lock-in , effectively as-a-service. At my previous company, AlertMe, we launched the smart home platform that eventually became British Gas' Hive. We initally offered a pay-as-you-go service business model and found that consumers weren't expecting to pay in that way. But now, several years on, British Gas have succeeded in selling Hive as a service. Today it's even possible to pay for clean-clothes-as-a-service - not by employing a butler or popping down to the launderette, but with a washing machine paid for by a combination of monthly service fee and pay-per-use.
There's no upfront cost, and you can say goodbye to worrying about servicing, repair or upgrade. If you're a company selling your product as a pure service then it's pretty self-evident that your monthly costs to support your devices must, on average, be less than the monthly revenue you receive from your customers.
The picture becomes less clear when connected products are sold for an upfront cost with no recurring fee - which by default is the proposition that many established companies are choosing when they launch their first connected products today. Service-oriented people look with envy at a business model where on Day 1 of the sale you get to cover your cash-flow and make your profit. However, the risk with this model is that any connected product has ongoing costs to the vendor which will eat into that profit, potentially turning it into a loss.
In the appendix at the end of this paper we identify several sources of ongoing costs for a connected product, and attempt to estimate them. This leads to the following picture of total cost per device per month for some mythical connected-product company:. For our company's previous unconnected product, the only ongoing cost incurred was Support. But now, in this example It may be a rational strategy for a company with deep-enough pockets or other profitable lines which support the business to launch such a product even though in its initial form it will be loss-making, in order to improve brand perception and capture market share.
But clearly there is work to be done sooner rather than later to ensure that the product becomes profitable. And in that analysis the many "value-added" aspects of a connected product should be considered as a way to achieve this, for example the "freemium" model where a small percentage of customers are persuaded to sign-up to an ongoing fee in return for premium features.
Through a smart lock installation, your house is equipped with a feature that is even harder to hack or break into. With the installation of smart plugs or smart lights, you will be able to enjoy these features and develop a look that you are at home despite being away for personal reasons. These are just a few instances. However, it is easy to see how smart devices offer simple and advanced security systems for your house.
Most people believe that home automation technology presents an even more convenient and plush lifestyle. It can be entertainment techs such as smart TVs and built-in headphones or the ability to monitor blinds and lighting with your android phone.
Either way, people are commonly looking for quick and comfortable benefits that home automation technology can offer. While choosing simple smart devices, most people still prefer visible benefits.
Many people are using at least one smart device like thermostats, security devices, lighting control, speakers, and so on. Once the switch has been made to a smart device, then it is difficult to not continue investing in the latest smart devices. The other reason why smart technology boosts the value of your house is the use of various smart devices that allow you to save on energy consumption like smart plugs, smart lighting, smart thermostats, and smart homes appliances amongst others.
By comparing the electric consumption of smart homes with other houses, you can show your potential buyers that your home is price-worthy in terms of long-term value. With most of the smart devices capable of switching off automatically when not in use, these devices also feature energy-efficient components.
Further, these smart devices usually need less energy than standard devices. If homebuyers realize that they can cut down a significant amount of electric as well as water cost every month by choosing a smart house, they are likely driven to make a purchase. With smart homes, people will be able to save more money by consuming energy. Apart from that, smart homes also save your time.
For instance, you are no longer required to do a specific task by yourself like setting the temperature inside your house, locking the door, or turning on the oven. With the wide range of automation that smart devices offer, you can boost your productivity thereby spending more time on other important things like having dinner instead of preparing it or spending the saved time with your family and friends. Smart homes prevent you from getting frustrated, allowing you to focus on the important things in life.
Opening and closing your blinds and shades is easy enough. Small builders 61 percent and custom builders 65 percent are most likely to install dedicated home offices, as are builders in the Mid-Atlantic 60 percent and Midwest 62 percent.
CTA also found that among new homes, structured wiring 48 percent , monitored security 29 percent , and home theater systems 17 percent remain the most popular installed home technologies in new home construction. In addition, several key technologies saw gains in new home installations last year, including: stand-alone video surveillance system nine percent , home automation eight percent , and energy management systems six percent.
0コメント