Smart Home energizes retail

With the right electricity tariff, consumers can save a lot of money – but not every retailer dares to sell these products. It is easier to show customers the savings potential through smart home devices and to make additional margins with the right products. Demand is high, as a representative survey by the Bitkom industry association showed in June/July 2022: According to this, 72 percent of those surveyed used smart household appliances to save energy. For 35 percent, the financial savings potential was a reason for using smart home devices.

Due to the massive rise in electricity and gas prices, many consumers have themselves dealt with the topic of saving energy in recent months and are receptive to suggestions from their TC dealer. The simplest and probably also the best-known product is the networked radiator thermostat, which can be found from manufacturers such as Tado, Bosch, Eve or Netatmo. These devices can be programmed to regulate the temperature based on the time of day or occupant usage habits. If you deviate from your daily routine and want to come home from the office earlier, you can also activate the heating when you are out and about.

In combination with door/window contacts, heating is also interrupted if the balcony door or a window is opened. Modern solutions also call up the local weather report or are connected to a weather station in the garden. For example, the system does not heat if the sun is expected to warm up the building in the coming hour. Depending on which study you use, the savings potential is given as up to 15 percent.

Smart lighting is another way to reduce energy costs. Smart lightbulbs or lighting systems can be programmed to only turn on when someone is in the room. In addition, the energy consumption of LEDs is significantly lower than that of the conventional light bulbs with tungsten wire or halogen lights that are still found in many households. Some devices have built-in motion sensors, but can also be paired with external sensors. For some buyers, the safety aspect also plays a role, since the programmable switching on and off of the lighting enables a simulation of presence. The market leader here is Philips with its Hue system, but the devices are comparatively expensive. Competitor Osram, on the other hand, has withdrawn from this market.

Smart sockets to measure electricity consumption

Smart thermostats for the radiator hold a high energy saving potential for comparatively little money

(What: AVM)

While customers are more likely to look for smart LEDs in retail stores than at TC resellers, the situation is different for intelligent sockets. Many well-known manufacturers that are well received by consumers, such as Devolo or the router market leader AVM, are represented here with their own products. These can not only switch the power supply on and off like a timer – some models also measure the current and can thus help to track the consumption of individual devices. This can be used, for example, to find out whether it is worth buying a new, energy-saving refrigerator.

No matter which devices you advertise to the customer – honesty is the top priority when it comes to the actual savings that can be made. For those who are already economical in their use of heating and electricity, it will take a long time for the sometimes not low costs for smart home components to be amortized.

Photovoltaics – it doesn’t always have to be the balcony power plant

It’s comparatively easy in a field that has been in the public eye again for some time – photovoltaics. The balcony power plants, which are now available through many sales channels, have already recouped their acquisition costs after four to five years, and from this point on the owner saves a lot of money every year. Marketing can also be worthwhile for TC dealers due to the immense demand.

Balcony power plants – marketing is also possible for frozen food retailers

(Quelle: nnattalli/Shutterstock )

Another way of reducing your customers’ electricity costs is through the professional installation of solar modules on the roof of the house. Very few TC resellers will have the necessary expertise here, but entry into this business segment is still possible through providers such as 4Motions: The Leipzig-based company brings installers and dealers together on one platform, so that the latter can get involved without any corresponding know-how, promises Managing Director Juergen Rohr. At this year’s Communicate, 4Motions will show how this can be done! on October 12 in Munich at the exhibition stand and as part of a presentation.