Cisco announced a new entry into the competitive home energy management space with its Home Energy Controller (see photo). It’s a welcome item and raises again the question of what the market for such devices may be.

We’ve seen home energy devices ranging from the Orb to an application running on your iPhone. Cisco follows the pack in using NIST-standards-approved ZigBee wireless and going beyond energy to control other devices including TVs and electric vehicle charging. It uses Smart Energy Profile 1.0 (SEP 1.0), so it should be immediately compatible with smart meters now installed in Texas at utilities including CenterPoint (407,820 as of June 17th, going to 2.2 million).

Cisco has the benefit of knowing the home wireless space through its Linksys products. The Cisco HEC also includes Wi-Fi, so it can be accessed from your laptop, iPad, or iPhone. Which brings up a question: how much will consumers opt for a dedicated home energy management device or in-home display vs. using an existing smart device. Cisco’s entry and the market’s response will help answer that.

As an energy consumer, I welcome another choice and look forward to others. Bring them on!