Lowe's makes a case for the smart home

Lowe's new Iris Smart Home solution is slated to be available in Lowe's stores and through Lowes.com in mid-2012.

Iris is described as an affordable system that will give homeowners the ability to control and interact with their homes from anywhere. Energy and technology company Genability will be used by Lowe's in its new cloud-based smart home solution called Iris.

"Energy management is an integral part of our smart home vision," said Kevin Meagher, Lowe's VP and general manager of Smart Home. "By incorporating Genability, we are able to tell homeowners not just what energy they are using, but what their energy choices are costing them. Providing consumers with energy knowledge is a vital piece of our smart home initiative."

The Lowe's initiative will involve vendor collaboration. For instance, door manufacturer Therma-Tru will integrate with Lowe’s Iris system. Therma-Tru will develop and incorporate a monitoring system in 2012 for homeowners that can be used via Iris in conjunction with Benchmark by Therma-Tru entry doors purchased at Lowe’s stores nationwide. The new system will make it possible for homeowners to be notified on their smartphone or computer whenever a monitored home entry door has been opened, the company said.