Google Said To Be Considering A Smart Thermostat, Again

Whenever winter rolls around it’s hard not to think of home energy use, insulation doesn’t seem to quiet work, power bills go up and it still feels cold. It appears energy use is also on Google’s mind, the company reportedly has been testing Internet-controlled thermostats aimed at making the energy grind more efficient by helping users control their power usage. The trial program is set to be called EnergySense,

These “smart” thermostats aren’t to be confused with an earlier like minded project called PowerMeter that Google shuttered in 2011. PowerMeter was a Web Application that displayed how much electricity a home used, however Google was forced to drop the project after stuttering consumer interest. However the Tech hasn’t completely thrown in the towel on creating a “smart” home energy-use device. Google isn’t the only company to have worked or be working on home energy use management. Several other companies have come up with their own renditions of the “Smart Thermostat”, these include Nest, Ecobee and Honeywell. With Nest having captured the attention of Silicon Valley investors with its next-generation thermostat with built in Wi-Fi that is capable of learning the users heating and cooling preferences over time.

With the EnergySense Thermostats Google is said to have plans to partner with other companies to manufacture the device. With Google already having had non-employees test EnergySense in St. Louis. However it is unclear if the tech giant plans to release the systems for commercial use. More information will become available soon, but its safe to say that Google is planning in some way or the other to keep their options open in regards to energy use.

Thank you CNET for providing us with this information.

Image courtesy of CNET.