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in-home displays

Intel, too, eyes home energy management

Intel has designs on the nascent home energy management business, following Google, Microsoft, Apple, Panasonic, and dozens of smaller tech companies.

Intel last week launched a Web site dedicated to its Home Dashboard Concept, a touch-screen display designed to help families control and reduce energy use. The Atom-based device will let people record video messages to other family members and, through third-party applications, let people look up information on online yellow pages or track packages over the Internet.

For Intel, the energy dashboard is another attempt to crack into the consumer electronics market. "Computing in the home is going … Read more

Home energy monitors getting wise to solar

SAN DIEGO--Two very different companies are developing ways to track energy usage in homes equipped with solar panels.

SolarCity, a company that leases solar panels to households, introduced on Wednesday a new version of its SolarGuard software that displays panels' production alongside a home's electricity usage.

In many states, people pay a higher rate for electricity during peak times in the middle of the day and early evening. By tracking usage--and solar panels' production--people can decide to run a washing machine at night, for example.

"The biggest energy-efficiency challenge in every house is not changing light bulbs. It'… Read more