The challenge:
upgrade rental standards with home automation
This property developer specialises in providing quality housing for international professionals on fixed-term contracts in the Brussels metropolitan area.
The company primarily targets white-collar workers from corporate and the European public sector seeking temporary accommodations due to relocations and project-based work. Often single and DINKS, these tenants highly value convenience, modern amenities, and sustainability.
The company sought to respond to these needs by enhancing its rentals in a 200-unit complex. The main challenge was creating a comfortable environment with technologies like AI and home automation to control energy consumption and streamline other services.
Simultaneously, the company looked to reduce maintenance costs as its service teams often faced high demand for addressing issues like resetting thermostats.
Reviewing available solutions
When looking for a solution, the company’s management considered the following approaches:
#1: Mobile app-based systems
The first option included using a mobile application to manage lighting, temperature, and entertainment services.
While functional and readily available, a pilot implementation indicated potential issues due to insufficient connectivity in parts of the complex. The other challenge stemmed from some tenants’ sentiments of digital overload and their objection to installing another app.
#2: Pre-set home automation schedules
The company then considered pre-set automation schedules for energy-efficient lighting and heating management. While useful for waste reduction, this approach proved unsuitable for professionals with varied work hours and unpredictable routines. It also failed to provide a smooth interactive entertainment experience valued by many tenants.
The winning solution:
voice-controlled home automation
The company decided to use a voice-enabled home automation system. Each apartment received smart speakers and connected devices for lighting, climate control, and entertainment.
-
The solution is built on one of the popular smart home platforms and uses Natural Language Processing (NLP)
to handle multiple accents and speech patterns to ensure high accuracy. As a result, tenants can control their living environment with simple voice commands like “Turn the bedroom lights off,” “Play relaxing music,” or “Adjust the temperature to 22 degrees”.
-
The AI-powered system learns tenant preferences over time and automatically adapts settings to their habits.
For example, it can lower the lights and adjust the thermostat in the evening or suggest energy-saving modes when the apartment is empty.
-
Integrated analytics
provide insights into energy usage trends, enabling property management to optimise operations and reach sustainability goals.
Results and plans: redefining urban living with smart home automation
A01
The voice-enabled home automation system upgraded the living experience at the apartments.
Tenants praised the system’s convenience and modernity, with several citing it as an essential factor for choosing the building.
Maintenance requests for minor issues also dropped by 20%, freeing up staff to address more critical service priorities. Additionally, the smart system’s energy-saving capabilities contributed to a 30% reduction in utility costs, aligning with the developer’s commitment to sustainability.
A02
The company plans to expand the system with innovative security features
including connected locks, concierge services for deliveries, and booking systems for shared amenities like co-working spaces.
