CE Pro July 2024 - 51

More Pertinent to Our
Industry: Who Is the
Provider?
Will the custom integrator
channel step up and be
the leading source for this
market? Or will the business
go to traditional electrical
contractors and solar
installers?
Energy management and
power control systems
straddle several business
models. The technology
can be very complex and
requires the types of home
control systems traditionally
installed by custom
electronic designers and
installers. However, power
management has usually
Running
macros
and installing
keypads and
touchscreens to
control lights and
appliances and
other devices in a
home has always
been a part of our
industry, right?
Will it continue
to be?
been outsourced to existing
electrical contractors. And
solar power has been in a
silo of its own - sometimes
incorporating generators
and backup systems, but
rarely integrated with anything
inside the home.
The business model for
solar providers has typically
been to send in a
salesperson to qualify the
customer, fi ll out paperwork
for permits, and sign a sales
cepro.com
agreement. Then a team of
installers show up and install
the solar panels, inverters,
charge controllers, and possibly
battery backup outside
the house. The systems are
very similar, and variations
are kept to a minimum.
This is a very diff erent
type of business than the
typical CEDIA model, which
requires close communication
with the customer,
close attention to details,
and lots of follow-up.
As a result, many solar installers
have far lower labor
costs than custom integrators
or regular electrical
contractors.
This fact has not been
lost on the manufacturers
of energy management and
power control systems. They
are actively looking at sales
numbers and trying to determine
what channels best
suit their marketing goals.
And there is more at
stake than just the energy
management portion of the
installation. Just as home
control systems will play
a growing role in energy
management, upcoming
energy management systems
are starting to integrate
home control as part of their
platforms.
Running macros and
installing keypads and
touchscreens to control
lights and appliances and
other devices in a home
has always been a part of
our industry, right? Will it
continue to be?
Integrators should become
familiar with this new
technology. Some of the
manufacturers are already in
our industry and exhibiting at
CEDIA; others are certainly
A Tesla Powerwall and SPAN system installed in a garage
highlight advanced home energy solutions.
looking and attending, but
not yet participating. CE Pro
ORRIN CHARM
(orrincharm@gmail.com)
has been in the smart
home industry since 1989
as a system designer and
engineer. His consulting
company, Charm &
Imagination, is based in Simi
Valley, Calif.
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July 2024 CE Pro | 51
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CE Pro July 2024

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of CE Pro July 2024
