Dive Summary:

• Reliant Energy and TXU Energy are both offering their customers new smart thermostat programs this summer that will compare self-sufficient smart meters with smart meters whose settings are set via the customers’ smartphones.
• Reliant is offering customers Nest and EcoFactor thermostats, while TXU released their iThermostat with smartphone controls and a new Facebook hub.
• Because only 13% of Americans said they would install an energy dashboard at home to track energy usage, utilities such as Reliant and TXU must convince their customers to allow the installation of smart meter devices.

From the article:

Do homeowners prefer the idea of a smart thermostat that they can set from their smartphones while they’re away from home? Or do they prefer the kind of smart thermostat that does all the thinking for itself?

Reliant Energy and TXU Energy, two of Texas’s biggest retail electricity providers, have both rolled out new sets of smart thermostat programs this summer that could help answer which of these two flavors of home energy control resonate most with customers. ...