IoT research firm shows 14% of U.S. broadband households plan to buy a smart water leak detector in 2016

A new report from Parks Associates finds annual sales of smart water leak detectors in North America will exceed 3 million in 2016, and these devices will get a boost from the insurance industry over the next four years. Only 3% of U.S. broadband households owned a smart water leak detector at the end of 2015, but 14% plan to buy one in 2016.

“Smart leak detectors are getting serious consideration by the insurance industry thanks to their potential to mitigate risk of water damage,” said Brad Russell, Research Analyst, Parks Associates. “Most current detectors are easily installed on top of existing home control systems, and new Wi-Fi models, such as the Honeywell Lyric Wi-Fi Water Leak and Freeze Detector, can serve as an entry point for smart home technologies. Currently insurers are offering device education and product recommendations to their customers and are looking to test new strategies to incentivize adoption of these devices.”

In addition to Honeywell, key players in smart water leak detectors include Aeon Labs, GE Security, FortrezZ, and leakSMART, along with those solutions offered by smart home platforms like Samsung SmartThings, Lowe’s Iris, and Insteon.

The Parks Associates report, Managing Home Resources: Smart Energy and Water Products, also examines smart energy technologies and smart sprinkler controllers. Nearly 10% of U.S. broadband households own a smart thermostat. Smart sprinkler controllers combine a variety of data sources to combat inefficient irrigation methods; North American households will buy nearly 2 million smart sprinkler controllers in 2016.

“The popularity of smart thermostats, invigorated by the Nest Learning Thermostat, continues to grow,” Russell said. “Twenty percent of U.S. broadband households plan to purchase one in 2016, driven largely by their ease-of-use and potential for energy and cost savings. Smart thermostats can quickly pay for themselves. The average U.S. household saves $173-$219 by using a smart thermostat.”

Managing Home Resources: Smart Energy and Water Products examines the market for smart thermostats, smart water leak detectors, and smart sprinkler controllers. It assesses which consumer segments are most likely to purchase resource management devices and what other device categories consumers are most likely to adopt. The report also examines key industry players and trends in energy and water management, and it includes five-year forecasts for smart thermostats, smart leak detectors, and smart sprinkler controllers.

Parks Associates will present new smart energy data at the firm’s Smart Energy Summit: Engaging the Consumer on February 20-22, 2017, in Austin, Texas. Visit www.ses2017.com for updates on the conference and the expanding market for energy solutions and home controls.

Managing Home Resources: Smart Energy and Water Productsis available to purchase at www.parksassociates.com. To schedule an interview with an analyst or to request specific energy management or smart home data, contact Holly Sprague at hsprague@gmail.com, 720.987.6614.

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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