FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTROL4 INTRODUCES CONTROL4® ADVANTAGE SOFTWARE AND DEVELOPMENT TOOLS
FOR THE CONTROL4® ENERGY MANAGEMENT SYSTEM 100
NEW SOFTWARE HELPS UTILITIES OPTIMIZE ENERGY MANAGEMENT PROGRAMS ACROSS A
NETWORK OF HOUSEHOLDS
TAMPA, FL— DISTRIBUTECH 2010, Booth #2121 — March 22, 2010 – Control4, a leader in affordable
IP-based home control systems, announced today the introduction of Control4® ADVANTAGE software,
which will power the company’s award-winning Control4® Energy Management System 100 (EMS 100).
Control4 ADVANTAGE analyzes residential usage data to help utilities optimize load management.
The company also announced a flash-based software development kit (SDK) that will allow utilities to
completely customize the EMS 100 experience for their customers and provide developers the
opportunity to create new applications for green-minded consumers.
“Our energy management platform just got a turbo charge,” said Richard Walker, President, Control4®
Energy Systems. “Control4 ADVANTAGE software is the key that makes the EMS 100 enormously
valuable to both utilities and consumers. And by opening up our platform for third party development,
we’re enabling utilities and developers to offer new and engaging applications so consumers can
integrate energy management in their everyday lives.”
Control4® ADVANTAGE for Utilities
For utilities, Control4® ADVANTAGE will integrate with existing demand response, load management and
third party AMI (advanced metering initiative) solutions and enable utilities to easily manage and upgrade
in-home energy devices across a network of households. The software also will feature a secondary
communications path, enabling two-way communication via the AMI network or Internet. Analytics are at
the heart of the offering and Control4 ADVANTAGE analyzes in-home usage data to provide the utility’s
load management system the information needed to optimize demand response and energy efficiency
programs. Data can also be used to tailor targeted energy offers based on usage profiles or zip codes.
Control4® ADVANTAGE for Home
In the home, the EMS 100 will include an in-home energy controller (the EC-100) and a ZigBee HA
wireless thermostat (the WT-100). With Control4® ADVANTAGE, the EMS 100 will empower consumers
with real-time information about their energy usage and costs. Coupled with intelligent automation and
control of ZigBee thermostats and other smart devices throughout the house, the EMS 100 is designed to
drive further savings for homeowners.
Beyond the base Control4® ADVANTAGE software that is part of the EMS 100 bundle, utilities can also
purchase optional Control4® ADVANTAGE software modules to customize their offering. These
additional modules include:
HAN Update Module: Provides over-the-air software and firmware updates to ensure that installed
Control4® EC-100 energy controllers offer the latest features and functionality over time.
Smart Profile Module: Leverages Control4® analytics to deliver targeted offers or energy conservation
suggestions to consumers based on their usage habits. The module also can target customer segments
by device, group of devices, zip code or usage profiles.
Marketing Module: Customizes the look and feel of the EC-100 with a utility
s logos and color schemes and leverages a new screen in the home, the EC-100, to deliver public service
announcements, messages, or alerts directly to customers.
Utility Customization Capabilities
The EMS 100 is designed as an open platform, and with the Control4® Navigator SDK, utilities can
customize the entire EC-100 user interface. For example, a utility could customize the feature set
available on the device to help consumers take advantage of energy savings and information the utility
offers or integrate additional control capabilities for other electronic devices in the home.
Applications for Eco-Conscious Consumers
Using the Control4® Application SDK, developers can build applications for consumers that can be added
to and accessed from the EC-100. The applications fall into three main categories: Enhanced Home
Control, Information, and Social and Entertainment.
Enhanced Home Control apps are designed to extend control of third party devices. This could include
applications to schedule home appliances to turn on and off to take advantage of off-peak energy pricing.
Information apps will take advantage of the touch screen on the EC-100 to offer key information such as
top news and weather, RSS feeds, hints for reducing waste, and reminders to clean air filters.
Social and Entertainment apps could include Facebook, Twitter, Netflix, OpenTable and even games that
could be played on the EC-100.
Developers interested in creating applications for the EMS can find additional information at
www.control4.com/partners.
For more information on Control4® Energy Systems, please visit www.control4.com/energy.