Home automation is powering growth for electrical contractors, particularly when it comes to control, writes Nortek Security and Control senior director of marketing Bill Hensley.

Technology advances and the proliferation of ‘smart’ apps are educating home owners like never before on the many opportunities the smart home can bring them. And this is creating opportunities for electricians and electrical contractors to diversify into home automation and smart home solutions to bring more value to their customers.

Some of these areas are obvious, such as installing structured wiring prewires for CATV and Cat6, the backbone of the smart home. Security systems and surveillance cameras represent another opportunity, driven by price reductions and the ever-present advertising from the DIY security camera manufacturers. Home owners see the benefit, but many of them would rather not tackle a DIY project.

Basic audio visual (AV) systems and media rooms are also not too far from an electrician’s wheelhouse, but does
require a strong lifestyle approach, learning how the home owner consumes media and developing solutions for
it. More on AV later.

Of course, one thing every home has is lighting. Planning for a modern lighting control platform and running the structured wiring to support it is a common ask of electrical contractors, going well beyond traditional voltage cable, lighting fixtures and switches and into more advanced control with customised lighting scenes and schedules.

Modern lighting systems enable this control, but going even beyond that to integrate with a home automation system steps up the options even further.

Home owners tend to identify lighting control as a lifestyle enhancement, even if they don’t think of lighting control as part of the ‘smart home’. If the home owner is unsure if they want a lighting control system or further automation,
pre-wiring for it during construction gives them (and you!) flexibility for later upgrades. This could range from adding a basic lighting system to fully integrating it into the home automation system, which empowers the home
owner to enjoy more of the functionality of the lighting control system they have purchased.

To maximise opportunities with a broader portfolio of services for home owner customers, aligning with a robust
home control and automation platform – such as Control4, ELAN and Savant – is a strong play. The automation system enables all the various subsystems to be managed and controlled out of a single app, with interface hardware
from a dedicated on-wall touch panel to handheld remote to the home owner’s mobile devices. All control systems are not created equal; each has its own style of configuring and programming hardware and the subsystems on the
network, and each has its own learning curve.

The added value to you is the flexibility in upselling your customer with the benefits offered by integrating lifestyle
solutions for AV, security, lighting, heating and air conditioning, and more. If the client isn’t interested now, discussing the control option gives you a strong argument to adding structured wiring during the pre-wire phase so these things could be easily deployed later.

For those projects that do add control and automation, working with the right control system creates not just lifestyle options for your customer, but some operational advantages for you as well. With everything on the network, the integrator can manage and update the customer’s system remotely, such as adding buttons to a user interface, or creating new ‘scenes’ managed by the control system without having to make changes on the lighting control sub-system (as in making changes to the ELAN control system rather directly in the C-Bus lighting systems it integrates with.

We mentioned AV, which is an increasingly common ask from home owners and an upgrade opportunity for you. So, let’s take a deeper dive into AV and entertainment control.

Whether you are adding wireless audio or installing a distributed audio system with in-ceiling speakers and in-wall speakers, entertainment systems are not a ‘one size fits all’ proposition. You can start with a simple media centre
in the family room, step up to a dedicated home theatre, or go ‘whole home.’ Your ‘menu’ of recommendations can come in many options. Listen to your customer. Just like some home owners are happy with a video doorbell while others want multiple surveillance cameras, the same holds true with entertainment options.

Outdoor audio a growth segment and speaker options come in all different styles, from under-eave wall-mounted
cabinets, to ‘rock’ speakers designed to blend into the landscape. For large spaces, consider 70/100V systems which enable multiple stake-mounted satellites anchored by in-ground subwoofers.

Particularly in outdoor settings, remember this rule: More speakers, not more volume. Keep in mind where the listeners will be. Place speakers in that area rather than blasting the volume from an adjoining space. This keeps it comfortable for everyone.

Many home owners will appreciate – even ask for – audio throughout the home. Distributed audio systems enable
playing different audio sources in different ‘zones’ of the home, indoors and out, and can even connect to the home theatre for a more integrated experience.

Always start with power and make sure you are safeguarding the electronics you install with high quality surge protection. That $5.99 power strip your customer has behind the stereo is most likely not protecting anything from catastrophic surges, like lightning strikes. And while lightning is an understood danger in many regions of the country, constant over- and under-voltage situations that are part of the everyday power grid can cause long term wear and tear on electronics, so always go with a top-quality power conditioner. And put it at the top of your proposal, not as an option. With the remote power management functions enabled by some power management products, you can add maintenance plans for reoccurring revenue.

We started this discussion by talking about the proliferation of smart apps that are adding to home owner awareness of what’s possible. Now let’s talk about getting rid of them – or at least simplifying them. Many, if not most, of the solutions you can install have a mobile app to control them.

Working with one of the home control and automation platforms will let you integrate all the ‘smart’ functions of the house into a single app. When multiple systems are integrated, it also becomes possible to create scenes of multiple events happening at once. For example, pressing a light switch not only sets the lighting, but turns an AV zone, select an audio source to play in that zone, and lower the shades.

Ultimately, this is what the truly smart home should be, with convenience advantages to your customers – and management advantages for your business.