Category Outpaces All Others in New CEA State of the Builder Survey
Warrenton, VA — February 7, 2007 — Despite a sluggish housing market, Lighting Control systems for residential use once again showed strong gains in the homebuilder market. According to the newly released CEA State of the Builder Technology Market Survey, Lighting Control represented the largest increase of all home technologies surpassing home theater, multi-room audio and structured wiring. In 2006, builders significantly increased their offerings in the areas of automated lighting controls, home automation, and energy management.
In their 5th Annual State of the Builder Technology Market Study, the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) examined the market for home technologies in new home construction and compared their findings in 2006 to the prior years. Despite a sharp reduction in new housing starts, overall adoption of installed home technology continued to increase. Builder offerings of Lighting Control systems were up 12 points to 57% and nearly double from recent years. The complete survey is available to CEA members at the their website www.ce.org
A key finding in the CEA survey is that a big trend driving the growth in the CE industry is an increasing focus among consumers on design and how well technology products integrate into the home. This dynamic trend is helping propel consumer demand and adoption of built-in home technologies such as lighting control systems which feature aesthetically pleasing user interfaces and hidden components. It is also driving demand of popular home entertainment products such as flat-panel displays and in-wall speakers.
The survey also determined that more builders are offering more home technologies than ever before with lighting control being among the most requested. While some technology offerings have hit a plateau — such as structured wiring, monitored security, and multi-room audio — other technologies are continuing to gain ground. These include automated lighting controls, home theater, home automation, and energy management.
Gary Meshberg, Chair of the Home Lighting Control Alliance (HLCA), commented, “The CEA survey once again confirms that Lighting Control is already becoming the next big thing. Homebuilders as well as savvy homebuyers are realizing that Lighting Control systems are affordable, easy to install and simple to use. And they provide a highly desirable upgrade option. Lighting Control systems clearly provide valuable benefits such as convenience, enhanced security and energy savings.”
Key Facts About Lighting Control and the Homebuilder Market
Lighting Control is now the fastest growing of all home technologies
Homebuilders appreciate the products’ design and lifestyle appeal to homebuyers
Lighting Control is an important differentiator in the marketplace
Energy savings benefits of Lighting Control are increasingly important
About the Home Lighting Control Alliance (HLCA)
The Home Lighting Control Alliance is a self-funded, member-driven consortium of leading lighting control manufacturers, systems integrators and industry support organizations. Its sole purpose is to promote the awareness, value and benefits of lighting control products for residential applications.
Current partners in the Home Lighting Control Alliance include: AHA Design, Automated Outlet, CEA, CentraLite Systems, Control4, Crestron, Echelon, EH Publishing, ETC, Exceptional Innovation, FulTech Solutions, HAI, Home Logic, Leviton, Lightolier Controls, LiteTouch, Low Voltage Systems, Pass & Seymour, RL Johnson Construction, S&S Electric, Somfy Systems, Square D, Vantage Controls, WattStopper and Worthington Distribution.
