Comcast and energy management solution provider EcoFactor have partnered on a service that optimizes residential heating and cooling trends and integrates them with Comcast’s Xfinity Home platform. The new solution can help customers reduce energy use and save money on utilities, the two companies say.
The cloud-based software from EcoFactor uses real-time weather data and consumer interaction to provide personal “smart” home energy plans designed to reflect changes in these variables.
“Through our Xfinity Home service, we’ve created a broadband and cloud-based platform for security, remote home control, and energy management, and we’re always looking to collaborate with innovative companies like EcoFactor,” said Mitch Bowling, senior vice president and general manager of new businesses for Comcast Cable, in a press release. “With EcoFactor, we see an opportunity to bring new and exciting technologies to our customers through an automatic energy management solution that works in real-time.”
“Comcast wants to bring its customers a solution that reduces energy use, but doesn’t ask them to compromise comfort or change behavior. That has always been EcoFactor’s mission, and it’s great to see a major service provider validate our approach,” said Roy Johnson, CEO, EcoFactor. “Comcast did its due diligence and concluded that EcoFactor was the best option to both provide value to consumers and help them extend their service portfolio into a strategically important new area.”
EcoFactor and Comcast are also working together to integrate the former’s back-office solution, which includes training, on-boarding support, installation, and energy use reports. Details and pricing for this EcoFactor-enabled service are slated for announcement later this year.
EcoFactor’s platform uses data from communicating thermostats to determine thermal characteristics of a home to automatically optimize energy use. The Redwood City, California-based company aims to provide an automated alternative to behavior-based residential management solutions.
Xfinity Home is a broadband and cloud-based platform that provides next-generation home security, control, and energy management features allowing customers to stay connected to their homes using an interactive web portal and mobile devices, through a free app. The platform also offers an expanding suite of home control and remote energy management services, including lighting controls, digital thermostats, live video monitoring, custom text and email alerts, remote arming and disarming capabilities, and soon, water and carbon monoxide sensors.
This partnership represents a broader push by Comcast beyond its traditional role in the home, represented by a recently introduced streaming service, Xfinity Streampix, allowing users to stream full seasons of TV shows and movies from a TV, laptop, tablet, or smartphone.
