mercator whittier: Allure Energy EverSense energy management system hands-on

Thursday, January 12, 2012

Allure Energy EverSense energy management system hands-on

Allure Energy announced its EverSense energy management system (read: a fancy thermostat) back in December, but we were just on hand for its official unveiling here at CES. EverSense serves both as a thermostat and media playing device (yes, those are speakers you see on either side of the screen). It comes running a custom OS that works in conjunction with the Allure iOS app to control the HVAC systems in your home. The thermostat has proximity controls that work with your iPhone's GPS to turn on or off your A/C depending upon how close you are to your house. That way, the temperature's always just right when you pull into your driveway, but you don't have the increased utility bills that normally come with maintaining a steady temperature all day.

EverSense's media streaming works using a wireless technology akin to DLNA to pull tunes from your handset -- when we prodded Allure's reps for more info, all they'd tell us is that it's "proprietary" tech. We got to see the device and the companion app, but couldn't do a full demo of their capabilities as custom software still has some bugs and isn't quite ready for prime time. The good news is, there's plenty of time for Allure to fix it: EverSense is scheduled for a Q2 release, when it can be yours for $349.

Gallery: Allure Energy EverSense at CES 2012