iControl Networks partnered recently with Time Warner Cable to develop the IntelligentHome home energy management and security system (HEMSS) for U.S. customers. The HEMSS will enable users to manage in-home appliances via wireless thermostats and lighting controls using a touch-screen control unit. Customers can also monitor, manage and control the system through a website or free mobile application. On the security side, IntelligentHome allows users to monitor their residences from abroad via preinstalled security cameras, and can be personalized to alert the user by email of any pre-prescribed events.
When we spoke to Redwood City, California-based iControl late last month, the company emphasized that its market research had indicated customers wanted an intelligent home management system that coupled both energy and security in one package. Through its partnership with Time Warner Cable, iControl opened a wide channel to market to test this hypothesis. If embraced by end-users, it could prove to be the new go-to differentiator for cable companies in 2012.
Clients should closely monitor happenings around two developing facets of the iControl/Time Warner Cable partnership. First, they should track the U.S. market’s adoption of the duo’s HEMSS offering, along with similar offerings from Comcast, Verizon, 4Home, and Ingersoll Rand. If strong, it could trigger a slew of similar product partnerships. Second, clients should watch for further convergence between the once disconnected security and energy management technology arenas, particularly as they manifest in home management systems that couple energy and security management in the same offering. Lux clients can look forward to a profile of iControl Networks in an upcoming issue of our biweekly Efficient Building Systems Journal.


