40% of Thermostats Sold Are Connected but More Industry Collaboration Needed, IoT Executive Says

Forty-nine percent of U.S. broadband households plan to buy a smart home device by the end of the year, Parks Associates said at its Smart Energy Summit in Austin. Speakers discussed ways utilities can integrate smart home devices into energy programs, Parks said Tuesday. Some 40 percent of thermostats sold today are Internet-connected and 46 percent of owners bought the device through retail, it said. Addressing the role of energy management in the smart home, Ramon Alvarez, SmartThings senior director-strategic consumer solutions, outlined in a statement two challenges facing the residential energy management market: (1) Not all energy-consuming devices have the capability to get connected and provide energy consumption data, and (2) the industry needs “better cross-industry collaboration between utilities, service providers, and consumer electronics companies.” Dennis Mathew, vice president of Comcast Cable's Xfinity Home, said many consumers aren’t aware of the value of energy management in a smart home ecosystem. To increase engagement, the key is “finding a direct path to deliver the automated energy solution at little cost or effort,” he said, citing Xfinity’s interactive EcoSaver tool consumers can use to measure energy savings.