The Key to Selling Smart

Vaughn Wiles, Technical Support Specialist at Honeywell, explains why investing in ‘smart’ training is crucial to staying ahead of the game.

With 88% of homeowners expected to increase their spending on smart home technology in the next year, there is significant opportunity for electricians to grow their businesses by pitching themselves as ‘smart specialists’. Finding the time to attend training, can be a big commitment, however, especially amongst self-employed electricians, for whom time is money. That said, the increasing popularity of smart technology means training and upskilling is crucial for any electrician looking to capitalise on this growing market.

In fact, 33% of people have said that when it comes to specifying for smart technology within the home they would prefer to purchase directly from a tradesperson, meaning there is a clear appetite for professional installations.

Nevertheless, with more smart thermostats to choose from than ever before – from multi-zoning connected controls to more understated models with built-in automation – choosing the right product for the job can be a task in itself. Not only do electricians need to be able to get to grips with the range of smart thermostats on the market, but they also need to understand how they can give a customer greater control over their home comfort, so they can fit them with confidence.

With this in mind, most manufacturers offer training to arm electricians with the right tools and knowledge for every industry challenge. For example, Honeywell offers various online training courses so that installers can learn about three of its flagship products –T6, T4 and evohome – from the comfort of their own homes.

Electricians can simply register for free to gain access to Youlearn, the online training platform, whenever suits them. All courses are split into digestible chunks, with users able to track their completion as a percentage.

Split into three courses, the face-to-face training focuses on standard, connected and multi-zoning controls, meaning there is a course for every level. The ‘Standard Installer’ course provides a useful introduction to the world of heating controls covering everything from regulations, to system design, to product information. Delegates then put this theory into practice with a practical wiring session, to guide them through the basic steps of wiring various Honeywell non-connected devices.

The ‘Controls Applications’ course takes these principles and applies them to more complex systems. Electricians learn about the wider home automation market as well as Honeywell’s connected product range: Single Zone, T4 and T6. As connected thermostats are one of the most popular smart devices, acquiring detailed knowledge via training will assist electricians in upselling them.

Finally, the evohome course provides attendees with a complete, hands-on tutorial on specifying, installing, commissioning and fault finding with this multi-zoning heating control, covering everything from unboxing, to testing wireless signal strength, to handing over to the customer.

Installing smart heating controls now requires a new set of skills and knowledge that can easily be obtained via professional training. For electricians who invest time in up-skilling, the benefits will soon outweigh the costs of being left behind in a rapidly developing market.