智能家居梦想照进现实

    私募股权投资巨头黑石集团Blackstone最近出资收购了美国犹他州普若佛市一间专事安装家庭保全系统的公司的股权并为其估值20亿美元。对于这样一个并未受到大众多少瞩目的行业黑石集团从中看到了什么呢？

    事实表明这家2012年销售额近4亿美元、在住宅保全领域仅次于ADT的第二大私营企业Vivint正在逐渐超越普通保全公司的定位。公司CEO托德·彼德森将保全业务看作一种面向客户的销售渠道所售商品从智能温控器到照明控制系统乃至屋顶太阳能系统无所不包。彼德森喜欢穿着格子衬衫，头戴一顶前额处饰有“Vivint”草书字样的棒球帽他说“我们所处的行业已经有20年没有出现过任何创新了。”

    彼德森立志改变这一现状。他认为公司的70万名客户所想要的也许不仅仅是一套保全系统。他推出了一套家居自动化系统它由一块安装在墙上的触摸感应控制面板、若干传感器、摄像头、照明控制装置、温控器以及智能手机应用构成能够帮主人们确保家居安全同时节省能源。比如说这套系统连接着家庭保全系统中的运动探测装置可以获知是否人在家中。人们出门时系统会自动调低室内供暖关闭灯光。其他系统，如苹果公司（Apple）前任设计师设计的Nest家庭恒温器都是根据人们的作息记录“记住”人们当前在家与否。彼德森宣称自己的系统更加精确并表示公司的客户们在供暖、降温及电力开销上平均每月可节省30美元。

    Vivint公司的系统还能让屋主获知自己正在藉由何种方式消耗着多少电力。它也可以与Vivint公司新推出的屋顶太阳能系统配合使用。研究表明让屋主掌握自己正在消耗的电力额度可以降低差不多10%的电耗。用户还可通过智能手机或平板电脑遥控供暖、照明及门锁装置。打算提前回家吗只要告诉系统你会在半小时后到家房屋便会开始为室内供暖。这套系统甚至还能控制草坪上的洒水装置。如果当地天气预报有雨接入互联网的系统便会获知这一消息届时不再打开灌溉装置达到节水的目的。

    目前Vivint公司的节能系统所签下的客户已经超过了17万户。一整套完整的家居自动化套餐费用为每月68.99美元外加199美元的一次性激活费。不过想到这一点的企业并非仅有Vivint公司这一家。它主要竞争对手ADT正在向客户提供家庭能源系统。Tendril是一家位于科罗拉多州波尔得市的公司，专门销售精密的家庭能源管理系统。大型有线电视公司如时代华纳（Time Warner）、威瑞森（Verizon）、康卡斯特（Comcast）等也于近日进入了家庭安全及能源管理领域。彼德森一天只睡4个小时，他说：“我时刻谨记着，我们的创新速度还不够快，就是这一点支撑着我熬到深夜。”他一定听到了身后那些正在追赶的脚步声。

    译者：薄锦

    The powerhouse private equity firm Blackstone recently invested in an Provo, Utah company that installs home security systems in an equity deal that valued it at $2 billion. What does Blackstone see in an industry that's not known for being particularly sexy?

    It turns out that private company Vivint, which had sales of nearly $400 million in 2012 and is second in residential security only to ADT, is becoming much more than a security firm. CEO Todd Pedersen sees the security business as a way to sell his customers everything from smart thermostats, to lighting control systems to even rooftop solar systems. Says Pedersen, who favors plaid shirts and a baseball cap with "Vivint" scrawled across its front: "We've been an industry that hasn't innovated in 20 years. "

    Pedersen aims to fix that. He figures that his 700,000 customers might want more than just security. His home automation system -- which comprises of a touch-sensitive control panel mounted on the wall, sensors, cameras, lighting controls, thermostats and smart phone apps -- can help keep your house safe and save energy at the same time. For example, the system links with the motion detectors of the home security system to tell when you're home and when you're not. When you're not, the heat is turned down and the lights are automatically turned off. Other systems like the Nest thermostat, which was created by former an Apple (AAPL) designer, tries to "learn" when you're home or not based on your past behavior. Pedersen claims his system is more accurate and says on average his customers can save $30 a month in heating, cooling and electric bills.

    Vivint's system can also tell the homeowner exactly how much power he or she is using and how. It can also be hooked up to the rooftop solar systems Vivint now offers. Studies have shown that homeowners can cut their power usage some 10% when they know how much power they're using. Users can also control heating, lighting and door locks remotely from a smart phone or tablet. Coming home early? Just tell the system that you're arriving in a half hour and the house will start to heat up. The system can even control lawn sprinklers. If the local weather report is rain, the system, which is hooked up to the Internet, will know and won't turn on the irrigation system, saving water.

    Vivant so far has signed up more than 170,000 of its customers for the energy-saving system. The full home automation packages costs $68.99 a month plus a $199 one-time activation fee. But the company is not alone. Its archrival ADT is starting to offer home energy systems. Tendril, a Boulder, Colorado company, sells sophisticated home energy management systems. And big cable companies like Time Warner (TWX), Verizon (VZ) and Comcast (CMCSA) have recently entered the home security and energy management space. Says Pederson, who sleeps only 4 hours a day: "What keeps me up at night is I'm always concerned that we're not innovating fast enough." He must be hearing some big foot steps behind him.