Canadian Smart Homes Association

What Canadian Smart Homes Association does

The Association for Smarter Homes & Buildings (ASHB), legally the Association for Smarter Homes & Buildings and headquartered in Ottawa, Canada, is an international not-for-profit industry association founded in 1988 (originally as the Canadian Automated Buildings Association, later Continental Automated Buildings Association, rebranded to ASHB in July 2023). It serves more than 300 member organizations spanning the smart home and intelligent building ecosystem, including OEMs and manufacturers, software developers, master integrators, building developers/owners/facility managers, government agencies, research organizations, and B2B associations/media companies. Its core offerings consist of knowledge products (the weekly NewsBrief newsletter to 12,000+ subscribers, the ASHB Journal blog, the Smarter Homes & Buildings podcast, and a research library of nearly 1,000 reviewed reports and white papers), networking councils (Smart Building Council with 500+ members, Smart Home Council with 300+ members, and an Industry Advisory Council chaired by Honeywell/Tridium), and collaborative landmark research projects. The organization also curates quarterly webinars, think tanks, and event endorsements with industry conferences such as Realcomm|IBcon, CES, CEDIA Expo, AHR Expo, and BICSI.

ASHB monetizes primarily through recurring annual membership dues (100% tax-deductible given its non-profit status) complemented by tiered Marketing Outreach Packages priced at $2,000 (Silver), $3,500 (Gold), and $4,000 (Platinum), which give sponsors access to its 19,000–30,000 industry contact database via email campaigns, LinkedIn/Twitter announcements, and video promotion. Distribution is exclusively direct B2B membership sales with global geographic scope spanning Canada and the United States under an international positioning, and the association holds strategic partnerships with the Home Connectivity Alliance (announced December 2022) and the Digital Twin Consortium (announced January 2021). The underlying technology footprint is limited to standard association infrastructure (website, CRM, email marketing, podcast distribution); ASHB explicitly does not develop proprietary technology and instead operates as an industry convener and knowledge broker.

Name

Canadian Smart Homes Association

Legal name

Association for Smarter Homes & Buildings

Website

https://ashb.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1988

Operating status

Operating

Short description

ASHB is an Ottawa-based international not-for-profit industry association, founded 1988, serving 300+ member organizations across the smart home and intelligent building ecosystem via research, networking councils, and marketing services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Ottawa

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: ASHB generates revenue through annual membership fees from organizations across the smart home and intelligent buildings ecosystem. Membership is described as 100% tax deductible, suggesting non-profit status. The membership provides access to networking, research libraries, industry councils, and marketing/promotional opportunities.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

The Association for Smarter Homes & Buildings (ASHB) is a not-for-profit industry association that delivers member-supported programs across three pillars: Networking (industry councils, webinars, think tanks), Research & Information (collaborative landmark studies, a research library of nearly 1,000 reports, weekly newsletter, blog, podcast), and Marketing (event endorsement, email campaigns, speakers' bureau). The organization does not sell technology products; it sells access to a curated industry community of 300+ member organizations spanning OEMs, integrators, building owners, software developers, government agencies, and research institutions across North America and beyond.

Product overview

ASHB (Association for Smarter Homes & Buildings) is a not-for-profit industry association offering a portfolio of knowledge resources, networking councils, and marketing services rather than a unified product platform. Its core offerings include the NewsBrief weekly newsletter, ASHB Journal blog, Smarter Homes & Buildings Podcast, and Landmark Research Reports covering smart home and building technology trends. The association operates three industry councils (Smart Building Council, Smart Home Council, and Industry Advisory Council) that host quarterly webinars and think tanks. Membership services provide access to a research library, collaborative research participation, and promotional outreach packages at Silver/Gold/Platinum tiers.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• ASHB NewsBrief Weekly newsletter distributed to industry subscribers, covering industry updates, research announcements, and emerging trends in smart homes and intelligent buildings.
• ASHB Journal Official blog providing perspectives on emerging research, trends, and solutions in the connected home and intelligent building sector.
• Smarter Homes & Buildings Podcast Podcast featuring industry experts and leaders discussing smart home innovations and intelligent building methodologies, available on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.
• Landmark Research Reports Collaborative landmark studies including Smart Home Trends & Technology Adoption and Smart Building Trends & Technology Adoption research projects, along with white papers and market forecasts.
• ASHB Research Library Digital library containing nearly 1,000 reviewed reports and white papers on smart home and building research, with public and member-only sections.
• Smart Building Council (SBC) Large building industry council focusing on building automation, hosting quarterly meetings and webinars on intelligent building technologies.
• Smart Home Council (SHC) Residential-sector council exploring connected home systems including energy use, lighting, access control, climate, and health monitoring.
• Industry Advisory Council (IAC) Collaborative forum chaired by Honeywell/Tridium to advance industry priorities impacting intelligent buildings and smart homes, focusing on regulatory frameworks and standards development.
• ASHB Membership Program Membership providing access to market intelligence reports, collaborative research participation, networking opportunities, and promotional services including email campaigns and event endorsement.
• Marketing Outreach Packages Tiered marketing packages (Silver, Gold, Platinum) offering email campaigns, LinkedIn announcements, social media promotion, and video sharing to ASHB's contact database of 19,000+ industry professionals.

Quantifiable outcome

• 12,000+ newsletter subscribers receiving weekly industry updates
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments7 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Home Connectivity Alliance (HCA)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 12 December 2022ASHB and Home Connectivity Alliance announced collaboration to benefit the connected home sector. The partnership focuses on joint efforts to advance the connected home industry through collaborative research and industry initiatives.
• Digital Twin ConsortiumcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 14 January 2021Digital Twin Consortium announced a liaison agreement with ASHB to promote knowledge sharing and collaboration in the intelligent buildings sector. This partnership supports cross-industry initiatives in digital twin technology for buildings.
• Honeywell/TridiumcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHoneywell/Tridium chairs the ASHB Industry Advisory Council (IAC), serving as a collaborative forum to advance industry priorities impacting intelligent buildings and smart homes.
• NECA (National Electrical Contractors Association)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNECA participates in the ASHB Industry Advisory Council exploring opportunities to align industry stakeholders and amplify collective impact in areas like regulatory frameworks and codes development.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• ASHRAE: American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers. A larger, more established standards and member organization with significant overlap in intelligent building technology, particularly around HVAC and building systems that anchor ASHB's smart building focus.
• NEMA (National Electrical Manufacturers Association): US trade association for electrical equipment manufacturers. Overlaps with ASHB's OEM and electrical infrastructure segments and operates a broader industry mandate beyond just intelligent buildings.
• AHRI (Air-Conditioning, Heating, and Refrigeration Institute): Trade association representing HVAC and refrigeration manufacturers. Adjacent to ASHB's smart building technology focus, with overlapping members in the building automation supply chain.
• BOMA International: Building Owners and Managers Association, serving commercial real estate professionals. Overlaps with ASHB's building owners and facility manager member segment and operates a much broader commercial real estate mandate.

Direct peers

• Thread Group: Industry group developing the Thread networking protocol for IoT and smart home devices. Comparable as an industry alliance focused on smart home interoperability and standards development, with a member-driven governance model.
• Connectivity Standards Alliance (CSA): Industry organization (formerly Zigbee Alliance) that develops and maintains the Matter smart home interoperability standard. Direct peer because it is also a member-driven industry body focused on smart home interoperability and standards — a core ASHB mission.
• Home Connectivity Alliance: Industry alliance of consumer electronics OEMs advancing connected home device interoperability. ASHB has a formal collaboration agreement with HCA announced in December 2022. Directly comparable as a cross-industry body serving the connected home ecosystem.
• CEDIA (Custom Electronic Design & Installation Association): Global trade association for residential technology integrators, with member-based services spanning education, certification, networking, and standards advocacy. Highly comparable to ASHB because both serve as B2B membership associations convening the smart home and connected home ecosystem.

Others

• Realcomm | IBcon: Leading conference and education organization for the intelligent buildings and real estate technology sectors. ASHB has an endorsement relationship with Realcomm | IBcon. Complementary ecosystem player rather than a competing trade body.
• Digital Twin Consortium: Industry organization focused on digital twin technology, including applications in buildings. ASHB has a formal liaison agreement with DTC (January 2021). Related ecosystem player rather than a direct competitor, but shares member constituencies in intelligent buildings.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/ashb_news
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@ASHB
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ashb

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Canadian Smart Homes Association