Diversity of offerings is the name of the game at this week’s TecHome Builder Summit in Austin, Texas.

Whether or not you’re at the Summit, you’ll want to check out these five hidden gems to help diversify your tech offers.

Home Control Apps

Insteon recently released its flagship Insteon Hub, a central controller for all smart devices in a connected home. New features include field upgradability, easy setup and improved wireless range. The company, a member in the Thread Group and AllSeen Alliance, also offers apps that work with Apple HomeKit- andMicrosoft Cortana-enabled products from various manufacturers and protocols.

“We want to take care of our customers no matter where they’re at or what platform they’re on,” says Rich Peterson, vice president of sales at Insteon. “We’ve got a vast ecosystem of more than 200 products. There’s so much versatility and no limit to number of connected devices we can put on a network. No matter what you have in your home, we want to be ready for that. We want to be Switzerland, the one who takes care of everybody. It’s all about the end customer and the experience they get because they will become your biggest advocate.”

To that end, Insteon has joined the Works with Nest program, allowing customers to control their Nest Learning Thermostats, along with hundreds of Insteon products including light bulbs, wall switches, wall outlets, cameras and sensors.

“One of Insteon’s claims to fame is the way we communicate, using power line technology, which is 100 times more powerful than radio frequency—up to a mile in range,” Peterson says. “With our dual-mesh network, every device is spreading the message. If the internet goes down, all the products still work because they’re communicating with each other. The message doesn’t have to go back to the hub.”

Remote Lighting Design

Aterra Lighting Design & Controls offers homebuilders access to web-based tools that allow customers to spec lighting packages remotely. Using GoToMeeting sessions and Aterra 3D design software, customers can virtually install in-room scenarios and adjust lighting levels to get a sense of the finished room during day, evening and night. This process can also be done in a builder’s design center with a trained Aterra designer walking through each room virtually.

“For 20 years there was innovative lighting design in the custom home market. We’ve created a process for excellent lighting design and control in the production home market,” says Paul Salmonson, Aterra’s co-owner and president. 

“In fact, we live and breathe lighting design services, sales services and documentation for the production homebuilder,” he says. “And we can provide a national homebuilder with consistency of service across the board.” 

By giving this much control to customers, Salmonson says, buyers are upgrading themselves, with the builder optimizing and expanding on the customers’ lighting option allowances.

Aterra studies show that its approach to lighting and controls can up-sell 3 percent of the base price of the home in incremental sales of lighting, electrical and control products.

“With this remote specification capability and our 3D design tool in builders’ design centers, Aterra has seen record growth,” Salmonson says. “In fall 2014, we saw sales spike up over 2006 volumes. This indicates that our investment in lighting specification technology is being welcomed with open arms by builders and their customers.”

Tankless Water Heaters

Eemax is responding to the implementation of National Appliance Energy Conservation Act (NAECA) efficiency standards on April 16, 2015. The resulting product changes to tank-type water heaters will impact all levels of users—plumbers, distributors, designers and property managers. As a manufacturer of tankless water heaters, Eemax says its products are already 99 percent efficient and no changes are necessary to meet NAECA standards.

Eemax’s HomeAdvantage II is designed specifically for residential hot water with durable heating elements, smart, self-modulating digital technology. There is no standby heat loss, and the small, space-saving system, which can last 20 years or longer, can be installed anywhere.

“We know what it takes to heat water, what type of methods are the most efficient, reliable and right for the type of application. We’ve built a business around this and have sustained it for over 25 years,” says Jens Bolleyer, vice president of marketing and retail sales for Eemax.

In addition to NAECA-related solutions, Eemax is investing in “distributed generation,” their concept of placing hot water generation close to the point of use while eliminating 50 percent or more of piping cost (material and labor) and eliminating the cost, complexity and waste of a recirculation system.

“We’re at a crossroads in the industry in terms of water heating with new regulations coming out. We want to educate builders and raise awareness of our product,” Bolleyer says.

Ventilation Cooling

Field Controls is expanding its Healthy Home System by offering a ventilation cooling option for builders in states with stringent new energy and indoor air quality standards.

The Healthy Home System is a whole-home air quality solution that uses a central fan and ductwork and treats the entire home as a system, improves the efficiency and cleanliness of the air handling system itself, and constantly monitors and manages home air flow. Since the system is added to an existing HVAC system, customers can save thousands of dollars over buying a standalone system.

HVAC installers can easily handle the low-voltage electrical components, and the other components are plug-and-play with existing fans and ductwork, says Carl Moody, regional sales manager for Field Controls.

“The Healthy Home System is a great product for builders in California or Colorado that mandate or highly recommend ventilation cooling in new energy-efficiency codes,” Moody says. “Builders and buyers also receive the most credit in those states for HVAC systems with a ventilation cooling option. It is likely these strict codes will expand across the country.”

Ventilation cooling is usually combined with energy conservation measures such as shading provided by trees and window treatments, roof reflectivity and attic insulation. Mechanical air circulation can be used with natural ventilation to increase comfort, or with air conditioning for energy savings.

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Field Controls also offers with the system an option for home control, as its thermostat ties into a whole-home automation system. By the end of the year the system will be compatible with five of the top HVAC automation systems including the Nest Learning Thermostat.

Wardrobe Automation

Luxe Wardrobe Automation is a one-woman company based in Austin, Texas, owned and operated by Nancy Fike. Luxe’s streamlined conveyor system for installation in closets and other spaces allows homeowners to view and access garments or other items at the push of a button.

Customers can hang up to four times the number of garments that can go on a standard rod, in the same linear space. The customizable, simple-to-install conveyors are available in many configurations and lengths and in single or double tiers.

“With current building trends, customization, personalization and individualization are the keys to reaching sophisticated homebuyers,” Fike says. “In view of current home construction costs per square foot, certainly an essential concern is the most efficient use of space. Cutting-edge high and low technologies offer efficient luxury and have become modern necessities. Needing to maximize every inch of valuable space, the typical single closet rod is inefficient and a huge barrier to getting the most out of wardrobe space.

“Whether a closet is exceedingly large or too small, installing a Luxe conveyor system ushers in a world of possibilities by enabling you to create valuable additional square footage to maximize space in a bedroom, bathroom or closet. The custom Luxe conveyors can make the most of large and small spaces, high ceilings, cedar closets and wasted attic or basement space.”

Using Luxe Concierge custom software, homeowners can now integrate their PC and their Luxe conveyor. “With the click of a mouse or touchscreen technology, Luxe Concierge will bring the selected garment to you,” says Fike.