iPads, Energy Monitoring Give Net Zero Builder an Edge

How do you sell “Net Zero” homes that produce all their own energy? One homebuilder, Nexus EnergyHomes in Stevensville, Md., is giving away iPads to the new owners of their homes. The builder has sold seven homes in its North Pointe development in Frederick, Md. The iPads—just iPad 2s for now—aren’t gimmicky enticements. They’re intended to help homeowners monitor their homes’ energy use and control security and home automation systems, thanks to the Nexus’ soon-to-be-released NexusVision energy management and automation system. “What we’re giving people is the ability to communicate with their homes,” says Mike Murphy, president of Nexus’ construction division. “They’ll receive alerts if there are spikes of power being used. You can start the irrigation system or the oven on your way home. If someone rings a doorbell, you’ll see a video of the person at the door.” The NexusVision system consists of Alarm.com’s emPower home automation platform and interface, provided by subcontractor Vintage Security in Chantilly, Va., an eGauge energy monitor with current transformers (CTs) that measure energy usage at the electrical panel, and Eragy’s myEragy Pro energy monitoring software. The NexusVision system will show separate interfaces for Eragy’s energy monitoring and Alarm.com’s emPower systems, the latter […]