Window and door maker Pella Windows announced Pella SmartSync...

Window and door maker Pella Windows announced Pella SmartSync at CES, a technology that enables homeowners to control shades and blinds from a PC, smartphone or tablet. SmartSync is Z-Wave enabled and compatible with the Nexia Home Intelligence platform that allows homeowners to integrate lighting, thermostats, security, door locks and other home automation functions. Pella pioneered the concept of installing shades between panes of glass, a Pella spokeswoman told us, and allowing homeowners to automate control of the shades “is the ultimate in convenience,” she said. The shades will roll out in Q4, she said. Pricing was not available, but the spokeswoman said the premium for the automation will “pay for itself pretty quickly” in energy savings. Ingersoll Rand, meanwhile, parent company of Trane and Schlage, used the CES spotlight to rebrand as Nexia its hardware/software platform, previously known as Schlage LiNK. Ingersoll Rand positioned Nexia as a smart home automation system that leverages the technologies of Trane and Schlage to make “every everything in your home speak one simple language,” including door locks, heating and cooling, video surveillance, lights and shades.