NRG's Vivint Launches AI-powered Energy Management Solution, "First Piece Of An Intelligent Energy Management Platform"

Vivint announced the introduction of Vivint Comfort IQ, described as, "an AI-powered energy management solution" that draws on insights from the entire smart house to automatically optimize HVAC usage without sacrificing comfort.

"As part of nationwide energy leader NRG, Vivint can offer customers truly integrated energy savings alongside a smarter, safer home. Comfort IQ is just the first piece of an intelligent energy management platform that gives homeowners a way to actually control their energy use in an integrated, effective manner," said Jim Nye, Chief Product Officer for Vivint and parent company NRG.

"Comfort IQ combines the industry’s most advanced energy intelligence with real-time Vivint smart home system insights, learning and adapting to changes in the house and its environment to deliver a comfortable and energy efficient living experience. By integrating Vivint’s whole-home intelligence with the existing gas or electric HVAC unit, Comfort IQ outperforms ENERGY STAR standards for connected thermostats while reducing wear and tear on expensive heating and cooling systems," Vivint said

"Only Vivint Comfort IQ includes the company’s Smart Comfort technology, which uses proprietary AI learning algorithms and real-time data from Vivint's sensors and other smart devices to identify and predict occupancy patterns," Vivint said

"Those real-time insights allow Vivint to impactfully reduce HVAC-related energy waste while keeping the home at the right temperature without the need to manually adjust thermostat settings, effortlessly unlocking hundreds of dollars in potential annual energy savings for the homeowner," Vivint said

"According to a year-long independent study by Tierra Resource Consultants analyzing 50,000 Vivint households across five major U.S. climate zones, homes using Comfort IQ enjoyed three times more energy savings than average Energy Star certified smart thermostats. The study also found Comfort IQ reduced HVAC runtime by an average of 13%, including cooling reductions of almost 16% and heating reductions of almost 12%, resulting in nationwide average annual household energy savings of $210, and up to $300 in some areas," Vivint said

Vivint said that up to $300 in annual savings is estimated for households in certain higher-demand regions. Actual savings may vary and are not guaranteed, Vivint said

Comfort IQ also offers customers air filter replacement reminders based on actual unit runtime instead of calendar-based estimates, and the ability to integrate directly with virtual power plants and other utility demand response programs.

"Vivint customers with a Smart Thermostat can use the Vivint app to opt into Comfort IQ, then customize their own settings and preferences before stepping back and letting their smart home do the rest. Comfort IQ works continuously in the background with no schedules to program and no settings to manage, learning users’ daily interactions to predict and respond to changing energy needs in real time," Vivint said

"Existing and new Reliant and NRG customers in select markets can unlock even more savings by bundling their Vivint smart home technology and an energy plan into one simplified energy experience," Vivint said

"Upcoming Comfort IQ features include advanced HVAC capabilities and intelligence, improved schedule, preferences, and occupancy models, personalized energy capacity scores, and savings experience & milestones," Vivint said