Fighting off a slow new home market and playing on the attraction of home controls, the iPhone and the Internet, Rocky DiGiacomo, a Minneapolis homebuilder, heard about the ELAN g! Series IP-based home control system that can use the iPhone to control every household function. He knew homebuyers would love it. Now DiGiacomo is pre-wiring every new home he builds with ELAN g! home control technology, leaving it up to the consumer to then decide which functions and components they want to install in their new home as part of the finishing process. ELAN is headquartered in Carlsbad, Calif.
DiGiacomo, founder of 20-year old DiGiacomo Homes and Renovation Inc., wanted his houses to include value-added features to differentiate them from the competition, and he found one solution — ELAN g! For example, in one case, he integrated six-zone independent and simultaneous audio/video sourcing into nine rooms, with energy management control, and also pre-wired for the home’s security system and surveillance cameras.
“We’ve seen the success of the iPhone, and believe that with it, we can make home control attractive and accessible to anyone,” says DiGiacomo. When he heard about ELAN g!, he turned to J.J. Vanderson & Co., a dealer that has been selling ELAN systems for more than 15 years, for a demo. Owner Jay Vandermyde asserts that people who want home control want all the features, including Web-streaming music and audio/video distribution. And he tells builders that with remote lighting and heating controls, the system even helps homeowners save on energy costs and makes homes more eco-friendly.