254: A Plug and Play Electrical System

Jim Baldwin, Founder and CEO of Domatic, joins us for episode 254 of Art of Construction.  Domatic aims to reinvent the way buildings are powered. They are replacing 100-year-old, inefficient 120/240V AC wiring. Instead, they have an intelligent low-voltage DC solution that combines power and data on the same wires. By centralizing AC/DC conversion at the source, they're paving the way for widespread solar-powered future that relies on DC. Jim Baldwin originally worked at Apple and took inspiration from Apple's design philosophies when creating Domatic. Like the ease of using an iPhone or plugging in a USB cable, he believes a building's collection of wired and wireless devices should work together as intuitively as possible. Often bad products make humans bend to technology and adjust their behavior, but the ultimate goal of the smart home is to make technology bend to humans. Join Devon and Jim as they discuss Domatic's value offering, the evolution of wiring and power over the years, the evolving role of an electrician on a project, and what the construction industry can learn from a company like Apple as we continue to fully digitize and streamline the building process.