The Future Building Management System - Continental Automated ...

home systemsTop-ranked Connected Home Services50ENERGYSECURITY% Specifying High Rank250EnergyMonitoringEnergy Mgmt,Control &ConvenienceManagingEnergy toUtility RatesManagingMajorAppliancesHomeSecurityMonitoringRemoteAccess &ControlVideoHomeMonitoringSource: Parks Associates’ Connected Home Systems & Services research service @ Parks Associatesseveral brand name products illustrates the range of tacticsused to target these segments. Best Buy’s Kris Bowring,Senior Director Home and Energy Management andCABA Board member, has explained that their approachis to provide an in-store environment to educate differenttypes of consumers about a variety of products and solutions,through “consultative” sales by their “blue shirt”staff.Best Buy stocks a range of products in their home energydepartments that are not necessarily compatible butcan be used as stand-alone solutions satisfying specificinterests.Lowe’s in July 2012 announced the availability of aprivate-labeled system in 500 of their stores as well asthrough their Web site. Kevin Meagher, VP and GM ofSmart Home Systems at Lowe’s, noted that in addition toIRIS components, many third party products compatiblewith the IRIS system are being sold. Initially, there were10 IRIS-labeled products and five third-party productsthat are IRIS-compatible.Lowe’s has avoided explanations of technologies inthese products, eliminating any issues regarding interoperability,which solves a key consumer problem. Meagheralso emphasized use of cloud computing both for accessand product compatibility.I am particularly impressed that the IRIS gatewayincludes Z-Wave, ZigBee (HA), USB and router connections.Meagher indicates that there will be additionalcompatible products stocked in their end-of-aisle displayswith interactive educational materials. More IRIScompatibleproducts are planned before the end of 2012,including Schlage door locks.Assuming things go well, more Lowe’s stores willstock these products. Finally, Lowe’s has three pre-packagedkits and does not charge for their basic online service.The security and energy control related kits are $179while a more complete smart home kit is $299.Additional modules sold separately are competitivelypriced. Lowe’s seems to be appealing to the priceconsciousconsumer. Their system seems less expensivethan options from monitored and online alternatives.Verizon’s entry-level connected home bundle is currently$89.99 plus a $9.99 monthly service charge, which overa year is more expensive. It should be noted that productsuppliers indicate they are accepting lower marginsthan normal in order to stimulate wider acceptance and8 iHomes & Buildings