The app enables homeowners to design their own room, visualising the real effect of daylight, with 360⁰ view and virtual reality options.

MyDaylight is a powerful new app by VELUX that enables homeowners to design their own room or renovation project by easily selecting parameters such as floor dimensions, roof height and ceiling pitch. They can then customise further by adding windows, floor and wall finishes, the room’s location, and more. After approximately ten minutes, they receive a digital simulation which can be viewed in 360⁰ or virtual reality, and gives a life-like recreation of the room and the changing effects of daylight inside.

The app bridges a gap, leading homeowners from imagination to implementation: “Many people who are looking to reshape their home find it difficult moving from imagination to concrete proposals. The app brings homeowners one step closer to the home they have envisioned, as the 360⁰ and virtual reality visualisations make it both tangible and achievable,” says Grant Sneddon, Daylight Expert, VELUX.

Fueling the home renovation market digitally
The do-it-yourself market is booming, with Europeans spending as much as EUR 377 billion on home improvement in 2016 [European Home Improvement Monitor, 2016]. Meanwhile, the building industry is becoming ever more digital, and with MyDaylight, VELUX is empowering homeowners with a groundbreaking digital tool to inform their home investment decisions.

Sneddon continues: “As the market for home improvement is growing and our customers are getting more digital, we see a clear business potential in launching an app, which for the first time will enable homeowners to see just how much daylight can change a home, adding value and ensuring that the renovation pays off.

“We anticipate it will boost sales revenue throughout 2018 and beyond thanks to new renovation projects triggered by use of the app.”

Private capital available for renovation projects across Europe reaches a staggering EUR 30 trillion [Copenhagen Economics, Healthy Homes Barometer 2017], and providing homeowners with the best possible information is key to unlocking this potential.

The future is digital
The app is a unique opportunity for homeowners to experiment with different renovation options, and a mobile application means the service is available anywhere, anytime – thereby meeting the growing consumer trend for online customisation, browsing and shopping.

“The search for inspiration is truly moving into the online space. With this app we meet our customers where they are. Homeowners can investigate different renovation ideas wherever they are – on the bus, the train or at home,” says Sneddon.

The time spent browsing on mobile devices is accelerating and has almost doubled across Europe, from an average of 53 minutes per day in 2012 to 1 hour 38 minutes in 2016 [Global web index 2016].

Today, more than 515 million Europeans are internet users, while 296 million are e-shoppers, corresponding to 43 per cent of Europeans over the age of 15 [Ecommerce Europe 2016 Report]. E-commerce increased from EUR 402 bn to EUR 510 bn from 2014 to 2016, while mobile commerce is expected to triple from 2014 to 2018 [E-commerce report 2015].

World first using cloud and virtual reality technology in a home renovation app
For the first time ever, homeowners have the benefit of the most cutting-edge technology in order to experience daylight in an environment matching the specific characteristics of their own home.

“We are using advanced new technology, which no company has ever deployed before, to provide an immersive feeling of light and space. You can customise your own room in the rendering, helping to take your ideas and inspiration to the next level,” adds Sneddon.

The rendering technology is built on cloud and virtual reality gaming technology taking the app to new levels.

To imagine and design with daylight in mind you simply:

1. Download the MyDaylight app
2. Configure your space by plotting in data, such as floor dimensions and roof pitch
3. Create different daylight designs by playing with the positioning and size of windows
4. Within minutes, you will receive a notification that your personal daylight render is ready (expect around 1 minute for loading of your simulation the first time you see it, as it loads a big data file)
5. With the rendering saved on your phone, you will be able to experience the room in both 360° and VR formats. VR goggles will make you feel as if you were standing in the middle of the room you just created!

You can play with endless scenarios and designs and create as many simulations as you like. Time and imagination are the only limits.

The MyDaylight app is free of charge for everyone and available in the Apple and Google Play Stores from today Monday 29 January 2018 in Great Britain, Ireland, Denmark, Austria, Belgium and Slovenia, and on 30 January in Germany.

In February, it will be available in Poland, Switzerland, the Netherlands, the Czech Republic, Spain and Hungary, and more countries are to follow later in the year.

A version for the US will also be available later in the year.

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