The film industry has helped turn creative thoughts into reality for years. Movies like the Back to the Future trilogy, Gattaca, the James Bond series, and even Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind have all featured fictional technologies that were astounding at the time, but have become a reality over the past few years thanks to brave and bold minds. Only recently, a company called BuLogics realized smart home through their StratIS Energy Management System (EMS), and it is bound to create bold impacts in the housing industry.
Millennial Homeowners and the Power of IoT
Contrary to popular belief, millennials make up 66% of homebuyers (the total homebuyers across all generations make up 34% of the population). However, even with this positive shift in real estate, most of the American people still rent their homes due to necessity or budget constraints. Certain students, professionals, and families find it more practical to lease an apartment, but it does not take away the luxury of finding an ideal home that suits their needs. This is where StratIS and the smart home comes in.
The rental market is booming, but still, have quite some catching up to do. With a majority of the United States population even taking out leases, it should not come as a surprise that the tech-savvy people of Generations X and Y want to have a taste of the future in their homes – something the Internet of Things (IoT) can surely resolve. Thanks to the power of IoT, you can now put lights, door locks, home appliances, and thermostat into one home network – you can control all of these with just one click!
IoT is generally a new term that refers to the network of physical devices including home appliances, cars, and anything else embedded with sensors, connected electronics, software, and the like. When applied to the concept of home automation (also called domotics), a dwelling then becomes a smart home. Entryways, lights, heating, security systems, home media, and others are interconnected, and people can use a central controller or even voice commands to operate the gadgets, much like some of the tech featured in Marty McFly’s 2015 home in Back to the Future II.
StratIS turns such imaginative sci-fi ideas into reality. Bold Business recently sat down with StratIS Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Felicite Moorman to talk more about their groundbreaking app-based system. “StratIS evolved from the idea that we could save people money in a smart apartment on their energy spent,” she said. “That isn’t fiscally viable before our creating the technology and the software platform to do that.”
Moorman, an attorney, turned award-winning tech entrepreneur, is one of the IoT industry’s leading experts today. Her company StratIS is listed as one of the Best Entrepreneurial Companies in America by Entrepreneur Magazine, while her other company BuLogics, of which she is also CEO, is a recent recipient of the Technological Excellence Award. The StratIS and BuLogics head has been leading the IoT business for years, with no signs of slowing down or stopping anytime soon.
“They’re taking a platform – a technology platform – and delivering a turnkey, usable solution that’s going to take the promise of these Internet of Things devices and turn it into a reality that both the multifamily owners, as well as the residents can use easily in a manner that fits within their needs,” said Karen Griffith Gryga, the Chief Investment Officer (CIO) of DreamIt Ventures.
The Energy-Efficient Smart Home
In the Bold Business interview, Moorman mentioned that StratIS focuses on a smart home or building’s energy savings. However, they are so much more than that. Their Software as a Service (SaaS) was created for multifamily and student housing, currently installed in about 200,000 units across the country. At present, this technology is the only access, energy, and automation platform explicitly created for such, with a focus on its fantastic two-year return on investment (ROI) for property owners, with residents as people who directly benefit as well.
“Our focus remains on energy savings, but we certainly speak to whatever the private sector is demanding,” Moorman explained. “So it could be door locks, thermostats, light switches,” much like the futuristic McFly household in the movies.
The company explains that they are on a mission to create and maintain a standard of living, which they refer to as “technology as an amenity.” And it’s not just for homes – StratIS wants to help businesses too. For property owners, this technology helps decrease net operating costs, while increasing the value of their property.
“If your actual property is multi-family property, apartments, or even student housing, that ROI comes when those units are vacant. When you turn those units over to new residents. And that happens very rapidly. Some of our fastest returns on investments are in as little as two weeks. That’s never been done before in this industry,” explained Moorman. The tech entrepreneur featured as a thought leader in publications like the Huffington Post, and the Philadelphia Business Journal has seen much growth and has established herself and her company in the industry as the leading names when it comes to smart homes.
Convenient yet Secure
Many technological advancements emphasize convenience but often neglect security. That’s not what StratIS is about. Their app-based platform gives building owners and managers high-quality tech and apps, providing state of the art control over smart devices throughout the homes and buildings. Such quality helps strike a balance between convenience and security, giving tenants genuine peace of mind.
In addition to managing these smart home across the property, the StratIS app also allows the creation of credentials for mobile entryways. This seemingly simple tech doesn’t just allow for secure entry into a smart home or building – it helps residents securely schedule maintenance, allows for proper auditing, and so much more.
Their unique system even works with practically any door lock mechanism and can use any wireless network, including Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Z-Wave, and Zigbee. With 250 authorized dealers installing StratIS with door locks and thermostats in various multi-dwelling smart homes and properties all over the US, it is still impressive they have collaborated with many industry giants including Samsung, Best Buy, and Honeywell.
StratIS is on the verge of making the smart home the best choice for home renters and owners. “Today, our goal is ubiquitous installation,” Moorman affirmed. “Global, ubiquitous installation of energy-saving devices.” Analysts forecast that the global smart home market will reach an industry high of $40 billion by the year 2020, and the US the highest penetration rate according to a study by Statista.
The bold idea of having a smart home has transformed from the big screen to real life, and StratIS wants it to be a safe and convenient standard of living that everybody can have. It is the future of urban living, available today.
