This week’s SmartHome roundup features EcoFactor’s push for a more energy efficient home, a smart shower, and new technology that turns any home into a smart one.

EcoFactor

As the SmartHome revolution ramps up, investors are anxious to develop market opportunities.  The recently funded EcoFactor proves the demand bubbling in this exciting new sector, bringing in a $10 million Series B round.   The funds will go towards the development of new services, enhancing EcoFactor’s award-winning home energy service, and expanding its engineering and sales staff.

EcoFactor’s energy efficiency service already plays a major role in some US companies’ home automation solutions, such as Comcast’s Xfinity Home platform.

Sprāv

Ever wonder how much water and energy you consume when you take a hot shower?  Wonder no more with Sprāv, a wireless water and energy meter for your shower.  This little device does not restrict water flow for you to save energy, but it delivers visual and audible cues to let you know how much water and energy you are consuming.  Based on the cues you receive, you can then alter your shower routine to save water and energy.

It tracks water flow acoustically so no tampering with the pipes, you just have to slip it on the pipe so it can also monitor the temperature of the water.  The information is then delivered to an accompanying app on your smartphone so you can see your daily usage.  But for a more immediate feedback, the device itself changes colors so you can see if you are consuming too much water.

Right now, it is still a Kickstarter project with a goal of $80,000 to go in production.  It still has 19 days to go to complete its funding goal but the project hasn’t even reached half-way its funding goal.  If you want to see this product go to market, be sure to tell your friends to help fund the project.

Neurio

The problem with turning your home into a Smart one is that you need to buy a bunch of new Internet-connected sensors and new devices, all to control appliances remotely in hopes of saving energy and money.  But how much cash did you just spend on all those smart gadgets?  Some solutions will set you back thousands of dollars, and while more accessible solutions are populating the market, some of the “smartest” tech can quickly become outdated.

We want the ease of controlling things remotely, but not the hassle of replacing perfectly good appliances with new ones.  Thanks to Neurio, the gap between non-smart and smart homes has been bridged.

Neurio is a home intelligence system that turns your ordinary appliances into smart ones without having to purchase a bunch of sensors.  It uses a WiFi power sensor and a cloud service, loaded with smart pattern detection algorithms to monitor your home’s electricity to figure out what your appliances are up to without having to purchase individual sensors for all your appliances.

Neurio and its included app, Wattson, tells you how much power you are using in real-time, also providing usage patterns, and is even smart enough to tell you when you forget to turn off something.  Plus, with its funding goal reached, it now has the ability to monitor and track your solar generation if you are using solar panels.

photo credit: MAZZALIARMADI.IT via photopin cc