The term, ‘Smart Home’, similar to ‘wellness’ and ‘sustainability’, has been compromised to the point of irrelevance. That’s why today’s Performance Home metrics speak more precisely to the overall value proposition for technology investments.
By Douglas Weinstein
A colleague sent me a link to an article from Interpret, a global consumer insights agency, who interpreted the National Association of Home Builders/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index released in Q1 2023. Part of this survey had to do with the impact of ‘Smart Home’ technology on the single-family home buying experience. As you can see from the graph they created above, 34% of respondents would consider paying a few thousand dollars more for a smart home.
Now, a few thousand dollars get’s you a Nest thermostat and Ring doorbell and a few apps. Maybe even a $99 router from Best Buy. Maybe even a 55-inch TV. So that’s what the public (and the NAHB, Wells Fargo and Interpret) thinks a ‘Smart Home’ is all about. And while some of that stuff is fun, it’s really not very smart when we talk about measurements and hard science.
On the other hand, we prefer the term ‘Performance Home’ – which incorporates resiliency, clean air/water strategies, acoustics, intelligent lighting, security, energy management, etc. etc. etc. – and considers the value proposition of a great night’s sleep (as measured by the Stanford University Sleep Lab among others – again, scientific proof that there are health benefits in creating the perfect sleep environment), not to mention the other practical benefits of investing in performance home design methodologies that include critical energy management and optimal indoor climate enviroments.
Sure, there are those who just want to unlock their front door from the convenience of their car as they pull in the driveway – that’s cool. But let’s not mistake the reality that the term ‘Smart Home’ really means DIY. And there is nothing wrong in that! But Smart doesn’t equate to Performance and we should all be quite clear on that when we engage design-build professionials and homebuyers. Education is still so critically important in our industry and (thankfully) people are listening and learning. So be cognizant of the terms we use and how we should be talking about the home in aggregate – not just the latest app.
