Verizon invests in 4Home

We have seen quite a ramping up of both planning and actual deployment of service provider-centric home control, monitoring, energy management, security, and health applications. Perhaps one of the more notable offerings is Comcast's XFINITY™ Home Security offering, featuring remote montoring and optional features for remote energy and lighting management.

Now comes word that Verizon Investments Inc. has participated in 4Home's Series-B financing round that closed in the first quarter of 2010. The investment, which was arranged through Verizon Communications Inc.'s Verizon Ventures group, assists 4Home to facilitate consumer-focused initiatives, including those underway with Verizon. 4Home has created a software platform for the deployment of home management services, including home monitoring, energy management, and home control.

My colleague Brett Sappington has been tracking the activity in the telcom/broadband space and home controls - including a global overview of what's happening - and we'll be discussing this in greater detail in coming reports and consumer studies.

4Home Energy Wins CES 2009 Best of Innovations for Eco-Design & Sustainable Technology

Brings Energy Management, Monitoring and Conservation to the Home for Consumers and Utilities --

Simple self-installable kit lets consumers manage energy usage and reduce utility bills with smart power adapters, thermostats, and an in-home energy control center. 4Home, the leader in home control services, announced a new energy management system, 4Home Energy.

Offering onsite or remote monitoring, this new system gives consumers a connected home solution for controlling home energy usage and saving money won Best of Innovations (#1 overall).

Combining technology from Echelon, SMC Networks, and Radio Thermostat Corporation of American, the 4Home Energy system provides a real-time analysis of home energy usage, displaying energy consumption down to a single appliance or light fixture. It also suggests options for saving money and conserving energy.

For more information on 4Home and its award-winning energy management system, please visit http://www.4home.com/ .