Nortek Packages Sub-$1,000 Single-Room Control System for PowerHouse Alliance

Nortek will “aggressively pursue” single-room custom installation control via a customized bundle sold through six members of the PowerHouse Alliance, it said Thursday. Six PowerHouse members that passed required training for the Elan EL-SC-100-SR system controller and EL-HR1 handheld remote control system are Davis Distribution, Electronic Custom Distributors, Mountain West Distributors, STV, Ultimate Integration and Pioneer Music. Elan’s single-room solution targets a similar entry-level home control customer as Control4’s EA-1 bundle ($600) with controller and handheld remote. None of the alliance members carries a Control4 solution, a spokesperson emailed us. The PowerHouse bundle includes remote access to a customer’s system via the cloud, without a subscription fee, with Z-Wave compatibility in “a few months,” said the company. Homeowners using the Elan single-room control system can use one remote to manage most of a room's media and entertainment; the Elan mobile app controls and automates household lighting, temperature, and door lock systems. The entry-level system doesn’t support voice control, the spokesperson said. The $999 price enables PowerHouse Alliance and its dealers to meet the needs of the many customers looking for an affordable, single-room system, a "new opportunity" for group members, said Executive Director Dennis Holzer. Elan's Direct CI dealers begin offering next week different versions of the new controller bundled with other accessories.