Alarm.com buys energy software startup EnergyHub
Algorithms to manage connected thermostats and collect their data have become a hot property in 2013. Alarm.com snaps up startup EnergyHub for its thermostat management software. Read more »
Our connected future: What to expect when elevators and toys start phoning home
photo: Sergey Nivens
Connected products are becoming more common. Which means that even after a product goes out the door, the company responsible can still keep an eye on it. That has big repercussions for business and consumers. Read more »
How Nest and Opower quietly morphed into competitors
The leading energy data startups Nest and Opower have quietly started to look more like competitors, though with some significant differences. Read more »
Nest acquires MyEnergy (formerly Earth Aid), moves deeper into utility data
Learning thermostat maker Nest has acquired a Boston-based energy data startup called MyEnergy. The company will help Nest develop its energy data services and continue its missions of working directly with the consumer to reduce home energy consumption. Read more »
We can’t let the Internet of Things become the Tyranny of Things
The Internet of Things isn’t just some futuristic concept — it already exists. But often badly. For it to succeed, it will need an economy supported by developers who can rely on open standards and APIs. Read more »
The real breakthrough of Google Glass: controlling the internet of things
photo: Flickr/Thomas Hawk
Many of the first apps for Google Glass will be about consuming and sharing content on the go. But what if Google Glass could unlock control over the world of the Internet of Things both inside and outside the home? Read more »
Exclusive: Nest has raised another $80M, now shipping 40K+ thermostats a month
Learning thermostat maker Nest has closed on $80 million to keep growing, and we’ve heard it’s shipping 40K to 50K thermostats per month. The round was raised at an $800 million valuation and the company could reach a million per year shipment rate by the Summer. Read more »
A land grab emerges over the connected thermostat
The connected thermostat is one of the hottest devices out of the Internet of Things that’s using a data connection to get smart software and to enable new types of services. It’s also getting a lot of attention from the latest Valley startups. Read more »
Energy giants back BuildingIQ and its machine learning, energy data software
Data and machine learning are breakthroughs for the energy efficiency of buildings. Startup BuildingIQ is using these tools to grow its building energy optimization business, and it’s just brought on some major energy industry backers. Read more »
The secret behind inspiring designers to make beloved gadgets
What’s the secret to Apple’s strategy of eliciting the best, most beloved, gadget designs from its designers? Create a culture where everyone is striving to tell the same story, and have a goal to ship the vast majority of products, says Nest CEO Tony Fadell. Read more »
Faceless sensors and tiny routers needed for the internet of things
photo: smartthings
Connecting sensors as well as connected devices to build an Internet of things-style service isn’t easy. But new products from vendors that range from Texas Instruments to ThingsSquared and Mobiplug make it easier for product vendors and consumers to build internets of things. Read more »
13 energy data startups to watch in 2013
Data analytics took the energy sector by storm in 2012, and a bunch of companies launched, raised funding and grew their businesses last year. Here’s 13 energy data startups you should watch in 2013. Read more »
Ahead of CES: 4 questions to ask about the internet of things
The internet of things is set to be a hot topic this year at CES, but before going gaga over the latest connected device, there are some hard questions industry watchers should ask — or at least think about– when evaluating the latest announcements and gadgets. Read more »
Early results: PG&E customers like controlling thermostats with iPhones
According to early results of PG&E’s trial with smart thermostats from Honeywell and Opower, customers really like controlling the thermostat remotely with their iPhones. Remote control could prove to be one of the first smart grid applications that is a clear benefit to consumers. Read more »
The 10 best and worst things to happen to cleantech in 2012
Here’s what I think have been the top 10 best, and the top 10 worst, things that have landed on the cleantech scene in 2012. Feel free to add your own in the comments. Read more »
Nest learning thermostats now saving a whole lot of energy
Nest learning thermostats are starting to rack up large collective savings, or more than 200 million kilowatt hours saved. Despite early sales volumes, the thermostats can save home owners 20 to 30 percent. In comparison Opower has saved over 1.6 billion kilowatt hours collectively. Energy savings battle! Read more »
Funding good design is now officially mainstream
Did investor love for designers just jump the shark? Nah, but it’s a long-brewing trend that continues to get even bigger. Read more »
Enjoying the internet of things? Thank your smartphone.
photo: SmartThings
We’ve been talking about connected homes and the internet of things for at least a decade, but why is there so much suddenly happening in the connected device space? Smartphones, access to cheap off-the-shelf technology and open software platforms have sparked the change. Read more »
10 things to be thankful for this year in cleantech
photo: Flickr/ VincciWincci
Despite the difficult year in cleantech, there’s quite a few things that excited me this year. Here’s 10 things to be thankful for in cleantech. Read more »
Opower, the big data energy player to beat
Opower has quietly been amassing serious reach with utilities, including crunching energy data from 50 million households and plans to be able to save its customers 2 terawatt hours by the end of 2012. Read more »
Tado aims to be a smarter thermostat than Nest
The two thermostat systems won’t be clashing head-on anytime soon, as Nest only works in North America and Tado in Europe. But the newer system, from Germany, also offers an interestingly different approach to smart energy control. Read more »
Update: Google expands venture fund to $300 million
photo: google
Google has expanded the size of Google Ventures’s annual fund from $200 million to $300 million annually, which will allow the firm to expand the scope of its deals and increase its presence as a major venture capital firm since its founding in 2009. Read more »
What makers of the ‘learning thermostat’ learned to redesign Nest
Working with a small team of less than 20 people on a first-time hardware product is tough to do things perfectly the first time, Tony Fadell, founder of Nest Labs said Monday. He talked about how customer feedback informed a quick redesign of the company’s product. Read more »
Meet RoadMap Book, exclusive for RoadMap attendees
Introducing RoadMap Book, which we’ve designed and printed to exclusively give to all our RoadMap attendees. RoadMap, coming up on November 5th in San Francisco, is focused on design in the age of connectedness, and our book features interviews and essays from thought leaders. Read more »
Introducing a big data prediction engine for the power grid
AutoGrid, a startup that’s developed a big data analytics engine for energy, officially launched on Monday and unveiled its first product, and its first two customers. Picture if you took Netflix or Amazon’s recommendation engines and used them for utilities’ energy data. Read more »
This week in cleantech: next-gen batteries and the importance of design
What happened in cleantech on GigaOM Pro?: a hot new report on next-gen battery innovations, a column on why design matters for cleantech, and much more. Read more »
EcoFactor closes $8M for energy data, analytics
Startups using smart algorithms and big data continue to attract venture capital funding. Read more »
James Dyson, maverick inventor funds a product incubator
James Dyson, the maverick engineer who created Dyson line of vacuum cleaners is donating $8 million of his money to an incubator that is based at London’s Royal College of Art. Its mission – create new physical products that solve modern society’s vexing problems. Read more »
Nest launches slimmer, smarter learning thermostat
The next-generation of the Nest learning thermostat is now on sale (and shipping in a few weeks). It’s got a slimmer design and smarter software to make it compatible with most homes in the U.S. Read more »
Why design is the key to the connected world
Intelligent and simple design is the key solution to creating meaningful experiences out of the connected world. Come hear from our speakers on this topic at RoadMap, including the CEOs of Instagram and Tumblr, designers Yves Behar and Tony Fadell, and former Twitter CEO Evan Williams. Read more »
When it comes to the connected home, it’s keep it simple, stupid
The connected home — which would let you control your thermostat from your phone, check on the dog while you’re traveling, automate the downloads of your favorite entertainment — is getting closer, but it ain’t here yet. Here’s why. Read more »
The Mobile 15: Our picks for the most innovative companies
These are the companies, startups and giants alike, that are changing or could potentially change the mobile landscape in the most profound ways. Read more »
United States of Connectedness: What works for the Internet of things
I was debating the purchase of a $130 broadband-connected scale versus to help me track my fitness and nutrition goals. As I weighed (HA!) the choice, I came up with three metrics that should help consumers figure out if paying more for connectivity is worth it. Read more »
Why Tendril may (finally) be positioned for growth
Despite layoffs and business model changes, Smart Grid News’ Jesse Berst thinks home energy startup Tendril is in a good position for growth. Read more »
Utilities embracing smart thermostats to help manage grids
American utilities are slowly starting to embrace using smart thermostats to help manage the energy consumption of their customers. Startups like EnergyHub, EcoFactor, Nest, and Opower are offering these tools. Read more »
Crunching energy data down to the fridge
A four-year-old startup called PlotWatt has developed smart algorithms that can crunch energy data down to the appliance level to determine which of your household devices is sucking up more than its fair share of power. Read more »
Nest scores first utility deal in Texas
The Nest learning thermostat is now winning over utilities, too. On Monday, startup Nest announced that Texas energy service provider Reliant has started offering its learning thermostat through one of its energy efficiency programs. Read more »
Nest thermostat reviewed: A smart device for all seasons
Nest introduced its smart thermostat in October of last year only to find that there was greater initial demand for its product than originally thought. After using a review unit for longer than I should have, I can see why: This good-looking device is super smart. Read more »
6 ways software rules the clean power economy
Software tools are becoming more important –and attracting more investments — with the greater use of clean power gear, from solar and wind devices to batteries for energy storage. Here’s a look at 6 software opportunities, from energy forecasts to performance monitoring to marketing and sales. Read more »
Amazon starts selling Nest learning thermostat, too
Following the news that startup Nest began selling its smart thermostat through Apple’s online store, the company announced on Thursday that its device is now available via Amazon, too. Read more »
