Once learned, never forgotten! - How smart home solutions and sustainable renovations are becoming game changers!

Get out of the comparison trap

To stand out from the competition, you have to abandon old ways of thinking. It's no longer just about installing materials professionally, but about solving customer problems and precisely implementing complex requirements from planning and building regulations.

Today's customers are also looking for solutions to their rising energy costs. They need more than a roofer, window installer or sun protection installer – they want automated living comfort. This is where the ‘business case for innovation and sustainability’ comes in: innovation and sustainability are not just ‘nice-to-haves’, but can become tangible economic levers for craft businesses.

A practical example

Let's imagine a fictional company. Five years ago, it built and extended roof trusses, installed skylights and insulated attics. Price pressure from large general contractors grew. The company decided to take the bull by the horns: today, it offers networked renovation concepts.

Customers now receive comprehensive advice. For projects such as the renovation and roof extension of a 1970s apartment building, the company not only offers and installs ecological wood fibre insulation materials, but also combines them with modern, smart skylights and automated shading systems.

• Added value: Sensors on the windows register when the room temperature rises in summer and automatically close the awnings before the heat enters the room. In winter, on the other hand, the system uses the sun to reduce heating costs.
• Customer approach: The company no longer installs ‘roof windows with roller blinds’; it sells ‘summer freshness without air conditioning’.
• Persuasion: Using 3D planning tools, he visualises for the customer how the play of light and the indoor climate will work during the initial consultation.

The company has evolved from a craftsman to a technology partner. The pressure from price competition has been reduced. Prospective customers and clients do not come to him because he is ‘the cheapest’, but because he offers sustainable complete solutions, factually sound advice and technically correct implementation.

Further training – the foundation of innovation

‘Once learned, never forgotten’ does not mean that the knowledge gained from a journeyman's examination 20 years ago is still sufficient. It is important to recognise that a (lifelong) willingness to learn is one of the smartest tools in your toolbox.

The complexity of smart home systems, the building physics requirements of truly sustainable renovations and the specifications of modern planning require constant updates. Companies that want to secure their future must invest in the minds of entrepreneurs and skilled workers.

Important aspects here include:

• Cross-trade knowledge: Today's window manufacturers must also understand how a smart drive communicates with the customer's control system or Wi-Fi router.
• Certifications for subsidies: Only those who are familiar with the current KfW or BAFA subsidies can calculate the financial advantage of the more expensive but more sustainable solution for their customers.
• Digital planning and implementation expertise: The willingness and ability to work with BIM (Building Information Modelling) and digital measurement systems speeds up processes and minimises errors – a direct competitive advantage.

Conclusion

To make the ‘business case for innovation and sustainability’ a success, you need entrepreneurs and employees who are not afraid of digitalisation or automation and who can explain the properties of solid wood windows or natural fibre insulation in a professional manner.

The way out of comparability is through further development. Those who have the courage to position themselves as experts in smart home integration and/or ecological renovation will tap into affluent customer groups who value quality and sustainability more than the last euro discount.

Innovative planning methods, smart solutions and the professional use of ecologically sustainable systems also make the trade attractive to people who want to work in a modern, future-oriented environment.

More directly applicable expert tips and practical knowledge on this topic can be found in the Future Room (Zukunftsraum) at FENSTERBAU FRONTALE + HOLZ-HANDWERK from 24 to 27 March 2026 in Nuremberg! Here you will find innovative solutions, digital tools, trends and fresh ideas, live demonstrations, exciting presentations, lively expert interviews and a fully digitalised craft office that you can try out for yourself!