Årnes Elektro
THE FUTURE IS WIRELESS
Location: Akershus, Norway
Challenge: How to ensure the most time efficient installation.
Solution: Conduct a comparison study with two identical houses, whereby one house features wired solutions and the other features Eaton - Go Wireless Dim All and Eaton - Go Wireless Heating solutions.
Results: By using Eaton - Go Wireless technology the business reduced the installation time for lighting and heating by eight hours.
By using Eaton wireless technology, we were able to reduce the installation time by eight hours. Wireless installments are the future - and should be a “no-brainer” for all electrician firms with a future minded approach.
Background
Norwegian electrician’s firm Årnes Elektro decided to conduct a comparison study to investigate if it’s cost and time effective to install wireless solutions rather than wired when carrying out installations. In an ever-increasing competitive market, the business saw the need for more knowledge on how wireless technology differentiates itself from wired solutions from both a business and consumer perspective. Even though wireless smart home solutions have been available for over 16 years, many new-build projects feature wired solutions for controlling lighting and heating. Årnes Elektro wanted to explore how wireless solutions influence both installation time and costs
Challenge
The company had to find two identical new-built houses where the desired electrical solutions had virtually identical functions. In addition, it was important that the same electrician worked on the identical houses to avoid any possible human errors.
Solution
The two-identical new-build houses featured in the study measure 134 square meters, and they represent an average household in Norway. The wireless solutions used in this case was Eaton Go Wireless packages, both for controlling and managing lighting and floor heating. CEO of Årnes Elektro, Kristian Smedsrud commented, “because all the carpenter and electrician work is carried out by the same professionals and the houses are identical, there should be few opportunities for errors”.
Results
After conducting the mini study, the electrician firm was able to prove that a wireless installment is time efficient and as a result, the installment time was reduced by eight hours.
In addition to looking at the installation time, Årnes Elektro also compared the costs of the two installments. “We have learned that there is no difference in costs between the wired solution and the wireless solution but there is a difference when you consider the time spent on the installment. If anything, the wireless solution could in fact be more profitable for us because the electrician could work on another project based on the eight hours saved. Also, with wireless smart home ready solutions there is an opportunity for up-selling”, Kristian Smedsrud comments.
The electrician who worked on the two houses, Tor Håkon Hansen, believes knowledge of programming wireless systems presents a competitive advantage:
“I find it exciting to work with wireless solutions because I believe it is the future of our industry. Knowledge of programming will be more important for electricians in the following years. I’m happy and proud to work for a company who acknowledges these major technological changes, and I believe it will serve us multiple competitive advantages in future projects.”
According to the company, the wireless technology has numerous benefits in addition to reduced working hours, including:
1. Better utilization of resources
With an efficient installation comes the liberation of resources which could lead to a more profitable business. Also, smart wireless installations could potentially lead to up-sale opportunities.
2. Design friendly solutions
Wireless lighting switches are mounted to the wall with two-sided tape and can easily be moved and adjusted to the customer’s needs. The homeowner can design their home freely, without worrying about where the lighting switches are placed. One smart wireless lighting switch can also serve multiple functions. If the homeowner desire more light switches they can simply place the switches in any desired area of the house by themselves. There is no need for drilling holes in the wall.
3. Easy upgrades
By having smart and wireless heating and lighting solutions, the customer can easily upgrade their home according to future needs and because smart home ready solutions are already installed, the potential upgrade of new solutions will be cheaper for the homeowner. For example, a home owner could install the Eaton xComfort Smart Home Controller. This enables the homeowner to control the lighting and heating through their smart phone, set up scenarios and automate lighting and heating tailored to their needs.
