Building smart.
We get sent a lot of
clever kit for the home, from smart thermostats, and smoke detectors,
to security systems and lighting. As you can imagine Test Pit Towers
is pretty advanced as a result, despite the building itself dating
from the 1940s. And that is how most smart-home systems have worked
in the past: you get a house, then you buy all the stuff you want to
make it smart... until now. A Seattle-based homebuilder has revealed
that all of their future builds will have smart technology built into
them as standard – just like how new houses come with water and
electricity.
Quadrant Homes, based
in Bellevue, Washington, will start to offer customers smart packages
as standard, meaning that when you move into you brand new house,
you'll already have these features active and running. Nest
thermostats, Caseta Wireless lighting, Ring video doorbells, and
Lutron automated window blinds will all come ready to use on their
newest builds. The thinking is that people will be buying these
products for their homes anyway, so sticking them in there at the
time of build will entice more customers.
It is an interesting
story as it reveals that the construction industry is starting to
realise how important smart and wireless features of a home are to
new and younger customers, reducing the 'novelty' appeal of smart
tech. Soon, controlling your heating and lighting with your phone
will be as standard and as everyday as twisting a dial on a box is
now. Exciting stuff.
