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Direct Energy to Launch Roadshow Touting Innovative Products, Services, Technology
Direct Energy in late September will launch a series of roadshow-type events, called the Innovation to Inspiration Tour, highlighting innovative products and services for residential and business customers.
Central to the Innovation to Inspiration Tour will be a mobile exhibit housed in an 18-wheeler which Direct will use to, "show the world the future of 'smart home' technology."
The tour will include stops in Columbus, Ohio; Harrisburg, Pennsylvania; and New York City.
The mobile exhibit will display leading "smart home" technology alongside Direct Energy plans to display how energy companies and home services can work as an integrated whole to the customer's benefit.
Products included in the tour include (quotes from preliminary Direct Energy collateral materials):
Smart Sprinkler Smart Appliances – Whirlpool Smart Water Tank (Sequentric) SmartThings Nest Thermostats Nest Smoke + CO Detector LIFX Light Bulbs Direct Energy will also use the Tour to highlight its suite of business energy services, including:
• "ChooseAgain", under which small business customers have the power to adjust their rate and term, without any fees, at any time, as long as they remain a Direct Energy Business customer. ChooseAgain is not available to customers enrolled through a broker or in conjunction with Direct's Nest offering.
• Efficiency Edge, which facilitates energy efficiency upgrades with no up-front costs, via on-bill financing
• Panoramic Power, which are self-powered, non-invasive miniature wireless current sensors that monitor energy consumption at the individual circuit breaker level
• BuildingIQ, a cloud-based software solution available to Direct Energy Business customers to reduce heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) energy costs
• PowerPortfolio, Direct's customized, blended wholesale power purchasing strategy
• Demand Response
• Time of Use
• Compressed Natural Gas
"During the month of September, a team of Direct Energy employees will be visiting cities in our service area, bringing with them an 18-wheeler loaded with innovative devices and appliances from some of our best and brightest partners. We're featuring a range of products designed for both home and business use so that you can control your energy usage in new and engaging ways. You'll be able to view thermostats, water heaters, dishwashers, sprinklers, smoke detectors, and light bulbs in action – along with the smartphone app technology to let you manage these devices whenever and wherever you are," Direct says in preliminary collateral materials.
The Tour will include a mock "Smart Home" to allow visitors to see what their own home might look like in just a few short years.
ADVERTISEMENT Copyright 2010-
September 9, 2014
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Copyright 2010-14 EnergyChoiceMatters.com
Reporting by Paul Ring • ring@energychoicematters.com
"With Iro from Rachio, you can save money and water by connecting a smart controller to your home's sprinkler system and controlling it with your smart phone. Iro keeps up with your lawn's watering needs so you don't have to worry about wasted resources or sprinkler scheduling. Included with the Iro controller are features such as Weather Intelligence for weather-related maintenance optimization, customized Auto Scheduling for your unique location, and Smart-Cycle for best practice watering for specific region. The Iro shows you how much water you save from month-to-month with personalized reports so that you can track your own usage and customize settings to better suit your budget and eco-friendly goals."
"Whirlpool presents Smart Appliances with 6th Sense Live Technology for individuals who want to know exactly what's going on in their homes at all times. With this technology, you have the ability to constantly be connected to your home, knowing when the laundry is done, when your refrigerator drinking water filter needs to be changed, when your dishwasher is finished running, and more. Connected through a smart phone app, Whirlpool Smart Appliances users can monitor and control energy usage and turn appliances on and off remotely."
"Sequentric Energy Systems has received a patent for its breakthrough technology, the Smart Grid water heater. The first of its kind, the water heater is designed to have grid-interactive and variable-capacity water heating capabilities, allowing grid operators to manage the electricity needed for heating water by the second. Because of this real-time technology, utility companies can now control and guarantee a constant supply of hot water for all customers"
"SmartThings provides a Hub to instantly connect to different sensors, locks, light switches, outlets, thermostats, and other compatible devices in the home. These devices can then communicate with each other and to homeowners through their smart phones, using the SmartThings app to allow the phone to function like a remote control. SmartThings is compatible with hundreds of smart devices from a variety of manufacturers, and customers can add many other popular smart devices to create a fully connected home."
"The Nest Learning Thermostat automatically adjusts temperature settings based on learning customers' energy use patterns and eliminates programming hassles by creating a personalized temperature schedule. With heating and cooling accounting for approximately 50 percent of the average household energy bill, Nest can make a noticeable difference by helping reduce energy consumption by up to 20%. The Nest Thermostat takes the local weather into account when making adjustments, which is a major benefit when considering the temperature swings across the United States. Nest users can also monitor and adjust their home's comfort system remotely by mobile phone, tablet or computer. "
"Nest's smoke and CO detector, Nest Protect, uses a human voice to tell you if smoke or carbon monoxide are in your home. By speaking to you instead of blinking a light or beeping, Nest Protect gives you the knowledge you need verbally and provides specifics like, “Emergency. There's carbon monoxide in the bedroom.” It continuously monitors its sensors, battery levels, and software so that you know exactly when you'll need to change the batteries in your Nest Protect without the frustration of a low-battery chirp. Monitor your Nest Protect through the Nest smart phone app for full control over the things you can't see or smell in your home. "
"LIFX is a multi-color, energy efficient LED light bulb enabled with wifi. LIFX light bulbs allow you to turn lights on and off, change the color of individual bulbs, set light timers and alarms, use your lights as a method of home security, and activate the lights in your home hands-free. With the smart phone app, you can monitor and control your lights remotely and set brightness, color, and white levels from any location. "
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