Constructech

According to research done by Parks Associates, technology was impressed into service at greater volumes than in previous years due to the stay-at-home orders in much of the country. They found one-third of smart device owners in U.S. households with broadband have increased usage of their devices during the COVID-19 pandemic, including 46% of smart door lock owners. As market adoption and usage increase, however, new challenges in the consumer experience are emerging, which cou ...read more

The smart home is one way that builders can differentiate and the use of technologies in the home is growing. Consider the recent survey released by the CEA (Consumer Electronics Assn.), www.ce.org, Arlington, Va., and Parks Associates, www.parksassociates.com, Dallas, Texas, which says smart-home devices will reach 20.7 million units in 2014 and are projected to increase to 35.9 million units by 2017.

From the article "Home Improvement Trends."

The majority of homeowners—approximately 80%—want to cut back on energy consumption by adopting energy-management solutions in their homes, according to a new report from Parks Associates, Dallas, Texas. This percentage is even more impressive due to the fact this group also said they are willing to pay for solutions.

According to Bill Ablondi, director, home systems research, Parks Associates, “Engaging consumers is critical to success in this market. Business strategies must ...read more

Research by Parks Associates, Dallas, Texas, demonstrates technology in the home—in this case, security systems—is an area where homebuyers have continued to allocate resources during the down economy. The study shows the average security system monitoring fee in U.S. households increased 15%, from $28.60 in 2008 to $32 in 2010.

However, despite overall curbed consumer spending, revenues from home monitoring systems remained stable, and even grew. Home security companies seem t ...read more

One of the many trends starting to develop is the migration of PCs into the home theater or media room.  A recent study by Parks Associates, Dallas, Texas, reports that one-third of the 10,500 U.S. Internet households surveyed have a PC located in the same room as their primary home entertainment system.  Moreover, these "living-room PCs" are well equipped to network content to legacy home entertainment equipment.

Networking, which used to be confined to the small home office, ...read more

Of the 30 million U.S. households predicted to have broadband service by 2004, 17 million will have a home network—a huge potential market that presents new opportunities and unique challenges to service providers, says a report by Parks Associates, Dallas, Texas, a market research firm specializing in emerging technologies and services for the home.

Initial data from the report, The Broadband Networked Home: Profiles of an Emerging Market, indicates that this consumer segment ...read more

Industry analysts believe that residential gateways are poised for enormous growth over the next several years. For example, Parks Associates, Dallas, Texas, estimates that the emerging market for residential gateways will more than triple over the next five years, growing from 8.6 million units in 2001 to more than 33 million units by 2005.

“The early market for residential gateways suffered from the absence of both sufficient home-networking technologies and consumer demand,” ...read more

"In competitive areas of the country (such as the South and West), larger numbers of homebuilders report that they are offering structured wiring as a differentiator," agrees Kurt Scherf, vice president of research for Parks Associates, Dallas, Texas.

...."I think that's part of the reason why builders are looking for these partnerships (with manufacturers) that are going to provide them with extra revenue, because when a new technology becomes available, homebuilders are able ...read more