The story of Nest is the go-to example of how the internet of things (IoT) can disrupt a traditional business model. In a recent HBR article, the author describes how Honeywell never saw Google as a competitor in the home thermostat space until Google bought Nest in 2014, which gave a \u201cclear indication that the digital transformation and connection are reaching critical mass, spreading across even the most traditional industry segments [1].\u201d Enlighted Inc. aims to do the same (and more) for commercial real estate as Nest has done for homes, and I would argue that this could have an even greater impact, both for businesses and society at large.<\/p>\n
According to Enlighted\u2019s website, \u201cEnlighted\u2019s Advanced Lighting Control System with LED fixtures can save organizations up to 90% of their lighting energy costs [2].\u201d Combined with Enlighted\u2019s additional offerings of temperature management, this technology can provide serious savings on the variable costs associated with building maintenance through advanced sensors placed throughout the space. This all sounds awesome, but when you think about the commercial real estate industry, you don\u2019t typically think innovation. William Robinson, CEO of Skyline Exchange- a company trying to cater to office space needs, noted that commercial real estate is \u201chas lagged behind other industries in terms of innovation, particularly when it comes to adopting and advancing technology [3].\u201d And while the cost savings are dramatic and enticing, the up-front capital required to install this technology can be steep. Enlighted has addressed this too by completing revolutionizing their operating model- offering \u201clightning-as-a-service\u201d (a cute play on SaaS) in which Enlighted leases the lighting and payments are structured as operating expenses netted against the energy savings, providing a net positive benefit to the bottom line [2]. A Wired article summarized the impact perfectly in noting that this innovative business model \u201cprovides extra incentive for Enlighted to make sure its products deliver on its promises\u201d [4]. As we discuss frequently here at HBS, aligning incentives of all stakeholders in an organization is a key element of any successful operating model. In this way, I believe that Enlighted is \u201cgrowing the pie,\u201d especially when you consider the pie not only as direct cost\/benefits but the externalities surrounding energy consumption.<\/p>\n
The company started out as providing savings on lighting costs for companies by sensing when someone enters and exits a room and turning on\/off the lights automatically. It\u2019s easy to see the value proposition of this to businesses, just as it was easy to see the value proposition of Nest in the B2C chain in terms of comfort. Catering to a business\u2019s core concern of cost savings, and a consumer\u2019s core concern of comfort- aka putting the customer first, is probably the number one lesson in every marketing class. Thus, the key to addressing some of these negative externalities and providing more value to more stakeholders is to find a way to achieve that outcome by reeling them in with the core concern. This is the fundamental idea behind a successful for-profit social enterprise. I think that a lot of people wouldn\u2019t consider Enlighted a for-profit social enterprise, but in reality this a prime example of how for-profit entities have the resources and ability to scale in ways that can greatly address key issues such as United States energy consumption and our dependence on fossil fuels.<\/p>\n
Moving forward, I think that they way Enlighted can continue to innovate its business model is to partner with companies like Skyline to increase their exposure to businesses that are looking for new space. Furthermore, there is so much potential in data analysis with all of the data that the company is accumulating through tracking metrics like occupancy movement. As Enlighted puts it, they are moving beyond smart buildings to \u201cbrilliant buildings [2].\u201d<\/p>\n
Sources:<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n [1]- https:\/\/services.hbsp.harvard.edu\/services\/proxy\/content\/56157960\/56157962\/1158b6f8f146cc2d02207d5ab2521095<\/p>\n [2]- http:\/\/www.enlightedinc.com\/<\/p>\n [3]- http:\/\/www.forbes.com\/sites\/groupthink\/2014\/12\/16\/why-commercial-real-estate-is-ripe-for-disruption-in-2015\/#58f5da69529e<\/p>\n [4]- https:\/\/www.wired.com\/2014\/08\/enlighted\/<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Enlighted has broken down the barriers for companies to adopt new sensor technology through a new business model.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2062,"featured_media":19257,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","template":"","categories":[2708,1811,98],"class_list":["post-19256","hck-submission","type-hck-submission","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-enlighted-inc","category-enlightened-capitalism","category-environment"],"connected_submission_link":"https:\/\/d3.harvard.edu\/platform-rctom\/assignment\/digitization-challenge-2016\/","yoast_head":"\n