Up here in the Burlington, VT area, we aren't exactly on the cutting edge of things like fashion (GQ recently named it one of the 40 Worst-Dressed Cities) or urban sprawl (for this we are thankful), but we are getting our Smart Grid on. Back in June a vote was passed...
CenterPoint Energy Houston Electric LLC, an electric transmission and distribution subsidiary of CenterPoint Energy, recently released the survey results of a 500-participant smart meter pilot program that took place in the Houston area starting last fall. According...
Here's an interesting -- albeit brief -- HomeToys review of the iPad as a Home Controller in a smart home scenario. I have not hopped on the iPad train yet, but if I do, I know I'll be looking for ways to wring every last bit of use out of it. A home...
I'm embarrassed to admit that I've only just watched my first episode of the Ben Heck Show, an element14-sponsored show in which the host -- born Benjamin J. Heckendorn -- turns average household products and technology into convenient solutions. The most recent...
First it was going from those old mercury thermostats to programmable thermostats. The next step? Wireless HVAC control. If we're to maximize our heating and cooling savings in the home (and take a load off the power grid), wireless HVAC control could just be the way...
For some reason I pictured the house of the future to have more rounded edges and moving parts--you know, sleek, curved furniture and conveyor belts to move you from room to room. But no. It's really just a house like yours and mine, with a few more wires, maybe. The...
Boston residents know something new and interesting is always happening on the MIT campus, some of it shenanigans and some pure genius. In that very spirit, MIT roommates Zach Anderson and R.J. Ryan have created a fully automated dorm room. Calling their project MIDAS...
In an era where car key chain remotes can open your windows or trunk, coffee makers can talk to the alarm clock, and home lights can be turned on from the work computer, isn’t it time for the garage door opener to move beyond the prehistoric “Up” and “Down” buttons?...
