At CES 2017, Vivint Smart Home, the leading smart home services provider in North America, and Vivint Solar announced a strategic partnership to offer a single, unified experience that will allow customers to intelligently manage both the generation and consumption of energy in the home.
“Before long, every home will be intelligent, and we believe solar energy is a key component of the smart home experience,” said Alex Dunn, president of Vivint Smart Home. “When Vivint entered the solar business in 2011, our ultimate goal was to bring together the benefits of smart home technology and solar power. We’re excited to begin making this vision a reality.”
According to a study from Research Now, there is a strong consumer preference for bundling a residential solar energy system with smart home technology. The study found approximately half of consumers interested in installing a rooftop solar energy system were also interested in buying a smart home system and associated products.
Later this year, new Vivint Solar customers will be able to receive an integrated energy management system from Vivint Smart Home, including a Vivint SkyControl panel, Vivint Element thermostat and home sensors, at no additional cost.
Intelligence optimizes energy usage
Sky, Vivint’s smart home assistant, is the artificial intelligence at the heart of a Vivint smart home, providing intelligent management of both energy production and consumption. For instance, Sky uses data from sensors throughout the home to automatically adjust the temperature based on a homeowner’s specific activity and preferences. Sky also provides intelligent recommendations to increase the home’s energy efficiency, such as suggesting on temperate days that the homeowner open windows and turn off the air conditioner.
The combination of solar energy generation and energy conservation from a smart home allows customers to build the foundation for a net zero home that can produce as much energy as it consumes.
“This strategic partnership makes Vivint Solar the first and only residential solar company to actually deliver on the full smart home equation,” said David Bywater, CEO of Vivint Solar. “Combining rooftop solar power with smart learning capabilities puts the ambitious goal of a net zero energy home within striking distance for the masses. It enhances a homeowner’s ability to manage energy and save money, which is exactly what they want in their smart home experience.”
Combined energy savings
Customers can get combined energy savings from a Vivint smart home that reduces energy usage and by receiving power from their solar system oftentimes at lower rates than their variable utility rate. For example, a smart thermostat can help reduce heating and cooling costs by 10-15 percent, and Vivint Solar customers typically save on average 10-30 percent on their current energy costs. Studies also show that a home with a typical residential solar energy system is valued up to $15,000 higher than it would be without the solar energy system.
Single app to manage everything
Vivint Smart Home and Vivint Solar customers will be able to see both their solar production and home energy usage in a single view from their Vivint Smart Home app. They can get insights into current and historical energy usage, visibility of near real-time power generation and intelligent management capabilities to automatically conserve energy.
Customers with this combined solution can also upgrade to a full smart home system, including smart locks, lights, cameras and more.
Intelligent energy management from Vivint Solar and Vivint Smart Home will be available later this year.
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