The domestic
market
Bulb
failure may just be an inconvenience for many of us, but for more vulnerable
people, it can lead to significant safety risks.
We don't want to think about an elderly relative struggling to climb onto a chair to change a bulb in the darkness. For someone in a wheelchair, it may be impossible.
And, if truth be told, we don't really relish having to get out the stepladder to reach that light fitting over the stairs ourselves. Good inclusive design benefits all of us, not just those with disabilities or impairments.
Second homes or holiday cottages, left empty by the owners for months at a time, often have an automatic timer fitted in at least one room to cycle the light bulb on and off, for security; when that bulb fails, though, the security benefit is lost. With 600,000 British people [1] owning second homes or holiday cottages, this is a significant market, estimated to grow another 24% over the next 10 years [2].
Clearly, there are a number of potential domestic markets for a device offering Incluminate's benefits; there are also many commercial markets.
The details on this page will be fleshed out as my research continues, but at present I've identified the following domestic market segments:
|
User
|
Purchaser | Main benefits |
| Elderly couples, or elderly person living alone | Themselves |
Safety |
| Relatives, carers or concerned others | Safety Reassurance |
|
|
Care organisations
|
Safety Reassurance |
|
| People with disabilities or impaired mobility | Themselves |
Safety |
| Relatives, carers or concerned others | Safety Reassurance |
|
|
Care organisations
|
Safety Reassurance |
|
| Householders (in general) |
Themselves
|
Convenience
(awkwardly sited light fittings) Safety (especially if householder living alone) Security (making sure a light is always on, maybe in conjunction with a timer) |
| Second home-owners / holiday cottage owners | Themselves |
Security
(making sure a light is always on, maybe in conjunction with a timer) |
75% of all domestic light bulbs sold (by volume) are traditional filament lamps, 15% compact fluorescents and 10% halogen [3]. Incluminate, in its standard form, will work with 90% of all domestic light bulbs; an adaptor for 230V or 12V halogen bulbs would also be very easy to produce.
[1]
Barrow, R. '600,000
Brits own second home', Daily Mail, 25.iv.2006
[2] Pritchard, S.
'Coming
back for seconds', Independent, 29.viii.2006
[3] Keynote Market
Report: Lighting Equipment, 2002
