How to Capitalize on the Growing Popularity of Wi-Fi Controls

Hello and thank you for joining today's webinar, "How to Capitalize on the Growing Popularity of Wi-Fi Controls," hosted by WarmlyYours radiant heating. I'm your moderator, Scott Rosenbaum, and I'm going to share some information about the growth of Wi-Fi technology, how it's impacting the radiant heating market, and how you can capitalize on this technology. Before we dive into the presentation, I'd like to quickly go over one housekeeping item. If you'd like to submit a question at any time during the webinar, you can click on the Questions and Answers button located in the top left corner of your screen. I'll be sure to answer these questions at the end of the webinar.

Last year, fewer than 20 billion Internet-connected devices were in use. Although that seems like a lot, that number is expected to quadruple within the next decade. According to research firm IHS, more than 80 billion internet-connected devices will be in use by 2024. The majority of these systems will be used to monitor and control various systems and objects, including thermostats. In accordance with this trend, Wi-Fi-enabled thermostats are on the rise. As reported in the News Magazine, annual shipments of remote control thermostats will quadruple between 2013 and 2017. According to IMS Research data, these thermostats allow people to adjust the temperature in their homes using a smartphone or tablet. This increase stems from higher demand among homeowners for comfort and convenience in their homes.

William Rhodes, the Senior Market Analyst for the Building Technology Group at IHS, affirms this trend, stating that with the rising popularity of smartphones and tablets, consumers are increasingly looking to control aspects of their lives through their handheld devices. Today's smart thermostats offer many other convenient functions as well. Many of them can report on energy consumption, alert users when updates are available, and use weather data to set the ideal home temperature. These features add significant value to the thermostat and enhance convenience for the homeowner. Previously, homeowners were only interested in buying a new thermostat if their old one broke, but now they have new reasons to replace their thermostats. Many of the Wi-Fi thermostats on the market today boast modern designs, drawing attention to this trendy home accessory while enhancing the overall look of the room.

Above all, homeowners are replacing their thermostats with new Wi-Fi models to enhance their level of comfort. According to IHS, the ability to control the comfort of one's home from anywhere in the world is the most heavily publicized trend impacting the thermostat market, particularly in the US and Canadian markets, which are leading this trend. To gauge whether you've noticed the same demand, let's take a quick poll: have you noticed an increase in the number of customers interested in Wi-Fi technology? Please take a moment to consider your answer.

Thank you for participating in the poll. If you answered yes, that's great! If you hadn't, we would have suggested that you will soon. This aligns with our expectations regarding market trends. To meet the growing demand for Wi-Fi controls, WarmlyYours radiant heating has developed third-party integration kits. These kits allow homeowners to integrate their electric floor warming systems with a variety of smart third-party thermostats, such as the Nest. It's important to note that while WarmlyYours offers these integration kits, we do not sell the thermostats ourselves. If your customer wants to use a third-party thermostat with our floor heating system, they would need to purchase it from a local or online retailer.

Our integration kits are available in both 120-volt and 240-volt options, with or without floor sensors, and should be connected by a licensed electrician. To determine which system your customer needs, simply identify whether the floor heating system they are buying is 120 or 240 volts, and whether the thermostat they wish to pair it with senses ambient temperature or floor temperature. If the thermostat only senses ambient temperature, they will need our basic integration kit. However, if the thermostat can display the floor temperature, they will want our integration kit plus, which includes a floor sensor. These kits work well with various third-party thermostats and home automation systems.

One of the most popular Wi-Fi thermostats in the North American market is the Nest Learning Thermostat. The Nest encourages homeowners to save energy by displaying a green leaf on the screen when they select a temperature that conserves energy. It also features an auto-away function, which lowers the thermostat setting when no one is home. Additionally, the Nest is known for its auto-schedule feature, which learns the homeowner's schedule and preferred temperature settings, programming itself within about a week. By adapting to the homeowner's routine, the Nest can save up to 20% on heating and cooling bills that would otherwise be wasted with an unprogrammed thermostat.

When used in conjunction with an electric floor heating system, the Nest displays the ambient room temperature, factoring in the heat generated by the heated floors. As a result, it will turn the floor heating system on and off as needed to maintain the desired ambient temperature. This ambient temperature display is beneficial whether your customer is using electric floor heating alongside a forced air system or as the primary heat source. To determine if a room is suitable for electric floor heating as a primary heat source, customers should consult our Heat Loss Calculator, accessible on the WarmlyYours.com website by clicking on the Tools tab in the top right corner or the Services tab in the menu bar.

Home automation systems are also growing in popularity in the United States, thanks to their increased affordability and the growing simplicity of smartphone and tablet integration. Global revenue from home automation systems is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 21%, reaching $34 billion by 2020, with North America leading this trend, according to ABI Research. Home automation systems are designed to bring multiple electrical devices in a home together under one platform. For example, a home automation system can control the thermostat, lighting, entertainment, and security systems.

To integrate electric floor heating with a home automation system, the appropriate integration kit should be connected to a low-voltage thermostat, which then integrates with the home automation system. This connection should be made by a licensed electrician. Typically, these thermostats can be placed out of sight in a home, as homeowners will use a wireless device to control the thermostat and other electrical devices. Small sensors are often incorporated into primary rooms to detect the temperature discreetly. Many home automation systems can integrate with WarmlyYours Electric radiant heating.

Some of the most popular home automation systems that WarmlyYours can integrate with include Crestron, Control4, and Iris. All of these systems offer customizable control over lighting, climate, entertainment, and security via remote control, which may come in the form of a smartphone, tablet, or web interface. They also provide special settings to help residents wake up each morning, shut down the house while they are away, and more. For example, homeowners can set their system to open the blinds, adjust the temperature, turn on the lights, activate the coffee maker, and play their favorite music every day at 7 a.m. to help them ease into their day.

The Crestron and Control4 thermostats can detect both ambient and floor temperatures, while the Iris thermostat lacks a floor sensor connection but features a touchscreen display. As mentioned earlier, please remember that WarmlyYours offers integration kits that allow our floor heating systems to work with third-party thermostats or home automation systems. We do not sell the thermostats ourselves; your customer would need to purchase their thermostat from a local or online retailer and the integration kit from us to get their floor heating system functioning with a smart thermostat.

These are just a few of the options that work with our integration kits. If you have inquiries about a thermostat or home automation system not mentioned in this presentation, please contact your account manager. Beyond the floor heating segment, WarmlyYours also offers a Wi-Fi device directly on our website. The Belkin Wemo Switch is available for plug-in towel warmers and radiant panels. It works by plugging into a standard outlet, with the appliance then plugged into the switch. Once the switch is activated and the user has downloaded the Wemo app from the Google Play Store or Apple App Store, they can control the appliance from anywhere using their mobile device.

The Wemo Switch utilizes the homeowner's Wi-Fi network to integrate with a smartphone or tablet, provided the mobile device has internet access via 3G or 4G. Homeowners can control their devices from anywhere. The Wemo app not only allows users to turn an appliance on or off remotely but also enables them to set schedules for their appliances. Additionally, the switch integrates with the IFTTT service, which stands for "if this, then that." This service allows the Wemo Switch to react to changes on websites, such as weather updates or sports score changes.

The Wemo Switch is compatible with our plug-in Infinity Towel Warmer, which features ten bars and a brushed stainless steel finish, our Barcelona Towel Warmer with eight bars and a free-standing design, our Elements Towel Warmer with four bars and a serpentine design, and our Studio Towel Warmer with six bars and a polished chrome finish. We will also be adding a brushed stainless steel finish for the Studio next month, so keep an eye out for that. Furthermore, multiple Wemo switches can be paired with multiple electronic devices in a home, allowing control from a single smartphone or tablet, effectively creating a mini home automation system for your devices, also known as a DIY home automation system.

Wi-Fi technology is the wave of the future, but how does that impact your business? Many tools are available to assist shoppers in-store, but you want your customers to enjoy the same convenience at home after purchasing a product. This is where our third-party integration kits and Wemo Switch come into play. Both products leverage a Wi-Fi connection to provide added convenience to your customers and can enhance the value of your sales. If your customer is purchasing a floor heating system, a plug-in towel warmer, or a plug-in radiant panel, you can suggest adding a third-party integration kit or a Wemo Switch to their order. Our integration kits retail for between $69 and $75, while our Wemo Switch retails for $59. At such a low cost, your customers will likely be inclined to consider making their homes a bit smarter.

If you'd like more information or wish to place an order for our third-party integration kits or Wemo Switches, please contact your account manager at 800-875-5285 or sales@warmlyyours.com. Don't forget that dealers and trade professionals receive a discount on our products, so be sure to take advantage of that. With Internet-connected services and Wi-Fi thermostats poised to quadruple in the coming years, now is the time to capitalize on this technology.

With that, I'll open the floor to any questions. If you have any questions, feel free to click on the Questions button, type in your inquiry, and hit enter. We often receive similar questions, so we thought it would be beneficial to share some common inquiries with you, as they might pertain to something you've encountered before or spark additional thoughts. One typical question we receive is whether there is any benefit to choosing a Wi-Fi thermostat with a floor sensor versus one that only senses ambient temperature. The main consideration here is what the flooring manufacturer recommends. If the flooring manufacturer has instituted a limit on the maximum temperature that the flooring can reach, then your customer would want to purchase the thermostat with the floor sensor. If there is no heat limit on the flooring type, then the customer can opt for a thermostat that only senses ambient temperature.

We have a question from Nancy, who asks if this technology can be added to an existing heated floor. Yes, it can. You would replace your current thermostat with a new Nest or another type, and you would need our integration kit to connect between the controller and the floor, as that will supply the power to the actual floor. So yes, you can do this with an existing heated floor. If you have specific questions about how to do that, please contact us at 800-875-5285, and we've assisted many people who have done this in the past.

Another question we often receive is about the difference between a third-party thermostat and a home automation system. Third-party thermostats, also known as smart thermostats, are standalone devices equipped with technology to optimize the homeowner's system. In contrast, home automation systems coordinate multiple electrical devices within the home, such as the thermostat, automatic blinds, room lighting, entertainment systems, and security systems. Homeowners can use these systems to control various aspects of their home from one device, keeping all other controls out of sight.

Lastly, we frequently get asked if a third-party thermostat can connect with the floor heating system as well as other HVAC appliances. For instance, the Nest thermostat has the ability to connect to up to three different heating stages. We have a question from Steve, who asks if two separate devices can control the same thermostat. I believe that might be a misunderstanding, as one thermostat can control multiple devices. For example, one thermostat could manage heating in both a foyer and a living room, but it would not typically be the case that two separate devices control the same thermostat. If you meant something different, Steve, please feel free to clarify your question.

Brian asks about the recording button flashing on the screen, wondering if he can save this presentation on his hard drive for later review or training staff. While I cannot confirm that, I do know that this presentation will be provided later, and we will send you a link to watch it again. Since you've registered for this webinar, you will receive a follow-up email with the link, so you don't need to worry about saving it yourself.

That wraps up the time we have for questions. Thank you all for typing in your inquiries. I would like to express my gratitude for your attention and for allowing us to share our products and expertise with you. We sincerely appreciate your time and hope to be in touch soon. In the meantime, if you have any questions, please feel free to contact us at 800-875-5285 or info@warmlyyours.com, and we will be more than happy to assist you. Until then, stay warm and be radiant.