NEW YORK — IP cameras, lighting and thermostats are among the hottest home-automation products.
Staples, for example, found during its home-automation pilot program that IP cameras and lighting were the most in-demand applications, said Brian Coupland, business development VP. Zonoff CEO Mike Harris, whose company created the Staples Connect platform, said he was “pleasantly surprised” that a “broad array” of products, including smoke detectors and thermostats, “has moved.”
For its part, Parks Associates see strong demand for a broad array of products, lumped under the term smart-energy products. The products include smart thermostats, smart lighting, smart outlets/plugs, smart power strips and smart kitchen appliances.
Households headed by 25- to 34-year-olds and those with children have a higher propensity for owning smart-energy products, Parks said. More than 10 percent of U.S. broadband households headed by a consumer ages 25 to 34 own at least one smart home-energy management device, compared with 7 percent of all U.S. broadband households. In addition, 9 percent of households with children and more than 10 percent of households whose owners have been in their homes three to four years own a smart energy-management device, Parks said.
Seven percent of U.S. broadband households plan to purchase a smart thermostat over the next 12 months, Parks added.
