New study: Eco-systems as a driver of smart business models

More and more smart eco-systems are conquering the market. This shows that the resulting business models in the smart home sector are lucrative and assertive from the perspective of companies in the energy and housing industry. This is confirmed in the 2019 municipal utilities study by EY and the German Association of Energy and Water Industries (Bundesverband der Energie- und Wasserwirtschaft e.V.).

Networking and collaboration between energy suppliers, housing companies and technology providers creates innovative platform concepts for end customers that combine the offers and products of the core business with new smart services on a single platform. They achieve maximum end customer benefits and impress with increased convenience and holistic connectivity.

But which business areas are forward-looking?

For the companies surveyed as part of the study, various areas that can be combined in the connected home are forward-looking.

The area of smart metering - including intelligent metering systems, the visualization of energy flows and the offering of variable tariffs - is considered to be particularly promising. The business area of electromobility, in which the charging infrastructure and services for intelligent charging are being expanded via smart tariffs for the benefit of the end customer, is also increasingly attracting the interest of energy companies.

In addition to these two business areas, the energy industry is also increasingly using IoT and other smart home services. The use of various features such as the automation of devices for increased convenience or AAL (Ambient Assisted Living) technologies for a greater sense of security is intended to expand and strengthen customer loyalty.

The managing directors and board members of 172 companies in Germany, Austria and Switzerland surveyed in the study take a positive view of the future of smart home services. They also rate the general economic situation of energy companies as consistently good.

Exact figures, results and the complete study can be found here.

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