Ah, the Internet of Things (IoT) — it seems to be a trending topic for every industry these days, especially with customers becoming increasingly tech-savvy. According to market researcher, Gartner Inc., in 2017, 8.4 billion connected devices are in use worldwide. That number is up 31 percent from 2016 and will reach 20.4 billion by 2020.
Numbers talk, and the HVAC industry has listened. HVAC manufacturers are consistently expanding their product lines to meet the ever-changing demands of the modern-day customer, and residential contractors are looking to sell the newest technologies. While the demographic for smart products does tend to lean toward the younger generations, this trend is not going away any time soon. Therefore, contractors are looking to capitalize on this growing market by introducing IoT products to all of their customers in an effort to make their homes smarter, energy bills lower, and provide greater overall comfort.