New survey of home and MDU builders reveals growing importance of smart home and voice control technology in new construction 

 A new Parks Associates study of US home and multifamily builders that sell or install smart home technology reveals the most common technology strategy among large-scale single-family builders (LSBs) is to install a whole-home Wi-Fi network. MDUs, Home Builders, and Smart Home Technology, supported by BUILDER and Multifamily Executive, reveals 35% of surveyed LSBs provide the networking infrastructure to provide a “smart home-ready home” for their customers. Twenty-nine percent of LSBs install an interactive security system, which remains popular among builders.

MDUs, Home Builders, and Smart Home Technology surveyed large and small home and MDU builders throughout the US that are actively involved in specifying, recommending, or installing smart home technology in their products. The research finds a majority of LSBs surveyed install Wi-Fi routers as a standard feature, while one-third install smart speakers with voice assistants as standard.

“All builders report smart home technology is highly popular with consumers, and connected products are rapidly replacing non-connected models as standard in the home,” said Brad Russell, Research Director, Connected Home, Parks Associates. “Additionally, new consumer experiences, such as the current impact of COVID-19 on working at home and the need to monitor loved ones, will increase the value proposition of smart home tech among consumers And while the coronavirus can’t be filtered by an HVAC system, people are thinking more about indoor air quality (IAQ) and how to create and maintain a healthy environment for their loved ones.”

The majority of large-scale single-family home builders surveyed offer smart home technology to increase the appeal of the house and not to add to the sales price. Smart lights, thermostats, door locks, and garage door openers are typically offered as standard, while smart appliances and smart water devices are usually offered as upgrades.

“Low price points put Amazon and Google in a good position to expand further in the builder market as a control interface,” Russell said. “The low price points of their smart speaker products give builders an economical means to integrate these smart technologies as standard in their homes to boost their value among home buyers. Leading builders, such as Lennar, KB Homes, and Shea Homes, have all selected smart speakers as the user interface of choice.”

MDUs, Home Builders, and Smart Home Technology focuses on value propositions for builders and buyers and delivers insights on the drivers and barriers, business models, technology strategies, procurement and production processes, sales and marketing, and value chain partnerships that will deliver smart home solutions into new construction.

For more information on this research, contact sales@parksassociates.com. To request data or an interview, please contact Rosey Ulpino at rosey@parksassociates.com, 972.996.0233.

About Parks Associates

Parks Associates, a woman-founded and certified business, is an internationally recognized market research and consulting company specializing in emerging consumer technology products and services. Founded in 1986, Parks Associates provides business intelligence and research services through its proprietary methodologies developed over decades, including quarterly surveys of 10,000 internet households.

The company's expertise crosses many industries: home security and smart home, streaming video, broadband and pay-TV services, digital media and platforms, gaming, Wi-Fi and home networks, connected health, support, consumer electronics, home control systems, energy management, and tech solutions for the multi-dwelling (MDU), small-to-medium business (SMB), and commercial building markets.

Each year, Parks Associates brings thousands of leaders together for its webinars and annual events. The firm hosts the annual executive research and strategy conferences CONNECTIONS™, Connected Health Summit, Smart Energy Summit, Smart Spaces, and Future of Video. https://www.parksassociates.com

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