CE Pro June 2022 - 10

Wellscapes
HEALTHFUL LIGHTING | AIR | WATER | SOUNDS | ECOSYSTEMS
Smart Fans Offer
Another Way to
'Own the Ceiling'
As 12 million ceiling fans are sold
annually in U.S., an Olibra smart
home study cites voice control, color
temperature control as important smart
features. By Jason Knott
WHILE LIGHTING fixtures
have become the hottest
new product category for
integrators in their mission
to " own the ceiling, " there is
an often-forgotten lighting
fixture that can be part of
the solution: smart ceiling
fans with incorporated lighting
fixtures. There are about
12 million ceiling fans sold
every year in the United
States - many that double
as both a fan and a lighting
fixture - and smart home
control manufacturer Olibra
thinks the time is right for
integrators to become big
" fans " of the smart ceiling
fan market.
The company conducted
its annual survey analyzing
the desired features of more
than 100,000 ceiling fan
users of all major brands that
are employing the company's
Bond IoT platform for connectivity.
According to the
survey results, convenience
and voice control are the
two leading reasons for users
to add smart ceiling fans to
10 | CE Pro June 2022
their home. Other important
elements are human-centric
lighting control, Wi-Fi
connectivity, and energy
management feedback.
The study shows that
2021 was yet another year
of neck-breaking growth in
the smart ceiling fan space as
more brands and more end
users embrace having units
with embedded connectivity.
Olibra uses the study every
year to learn from end users
about their preferences and
incorporate their needs into
new product designs.
The Cresskill, N.J.-based
company works with the
majority of brand names in
ceiling fans. Hampton Bay,
Hunter and Minka are the top
three but in all, users identified
more than 30 brands
they have in their homes.
Price, Features, Privacy
Are Key Concerns/
Desires
About half of all ceiling fans
sold in the U.S. are below an
average price of $145. Most
Olibra's Smart By Bond ceiling fan connectivity platform is
incorporated into many brands, enabling local controls for
users via Wi-Fi and app.
of the lower cost ceiling fans
are sold in big-box retailers
vs. the more expensive
ones sold through lighting
stores and showrooms. The
research reveals that in 2021
there was a clear increase
in the willingness to pay for
smart features by the users.
Indeed in 2021 nearly
double the percentage of
respondents (84%) say they
are willing to pay between
$40 and $99 to add Wi-Fi
connectivity to a ceiling fan
compared with 44% in 2020.
The willingness to pay above
$100 for connectivity also
increased in 2021 relative to
2020. Olibra speculates that
the strong increase in the
desire for Wi-Fi-connected
smart ceiling fans is likely
related to the increase in
consumers' appetites overall
during the pandemic for
wireless connectivity to all
IoT devices in the home.
Many IoT platforms powering
home appliances are
considered to be cloud first,
meaning the device cannot
operate without Internet
connectivity. This approach
reduces the development
cost of such a platform,
but opens up many issues
related to privacy, security
and reliability, according to
the study.
Olibra survey respondents
sent a very clear signal about
the need to have a local
control via Wi-Fi and their
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CE Pro June 2022

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