Cisco's Home Energy Controller Gives Smart Meter-Equipped Homes a Command Center

Cisco has made a big push into the smart grid industry recently, first with two pieces of substation gear for utilities and now with a home energy display that allows users to monitor power use. The Home Energy Controller--Cisco's first piece of equipment for smart meter-equipped homes--will be tested this summer with Duke Energy customers in Charlotte, North Carolina and Cincinnati, Ohio.

Cisco's controller is, essentially, a command center for home energy management. The device acts like a...