The average home spends more than $2,200 per year on energy bills and roughly half of this amount goes towards heating and cooling, according to the Department of Energy.  When a programmable thermostat is set and used properly, a homeowner can save about $180 annually.  But the problem is, virtually everyone with a programmable thermostat doesn’t set or use it properly.  Nest Labs, a Palo Alto-based start-up, aims to solve this problem with a new thermostat that’s simple, sleek, intuitive, and smart.

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One of the many friends of Jetson Green in attendance at Greenbuild this year pointed our attention to the ecobee thermostat, a high-tech, wirelessly connected, programmable thermostat. In addition to controlling temperature, ecobee also gives you control over the fan settings (allowing you to have the air circulation operate for a minimum number of minutes per hour). Ecobee measures humidity and can be used to control humidification/dehumidification equipment.

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EnergyHub just announced the launch of an energy management system for consumers interested in monitoring, controlling, and reducing energy use.  The system includes an in-home display, wireless thermostat, sockets, and strips, as well as iOS and Android apps for on-the-go control.  Some purchasers will also be able to integrate the system with data from their smart meter if they have a compatible meter.

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Yesterday Tendril and Vivint, formerly APX Alarm, announced a partnership to connect Vivint Go!Control home devices with Tendril’s home energy management technology.  The partnership is designed to give customers with a home security system the added ability to learn more about their energy use and control energy consumption.

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As it turns out, with near real-time feedback, most electricity consumers will take action to reduce energy usage, according to information released by CenterPoint Energy.  CenterPoint conducted a pilot program with 300 Texas customers using a simple in-home display (IHD) wirelessly connected to a smart meter.  Consumers used the IHD to obtain electricity usage data and a forecast of monthly usage and costs, spurring them to turn off lights, adjust the indoor temperature, and switch to energy-saving light bulbs.

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