GigaOM Pro

Telcos and cable companies have indicated interest in energy management for months (if not years), and it's unclear how big of a push broadband firms will actually make.

Broadband service providers — both telcos and cable firms — could make a push into the home energy management market before the New Year's ball ushers in 2010, according to indications from startups and predictions from analysts. Network operators are looking to bundle home energy management services, which will enable home owners to view their electricity consumption online and on broadband-connected dashboards, with voice, video and data, and offer it over their fiber and DSL networks. The idea is that the broadband firms could differentiate themselves and win over new customers (reducing that nasty thing called "churn"), while startups could tap into the market much more quickly than via other avenues like through utilities or directly to the consumer. That’s the idea, anyway. The reality is that telcos and cable companies have indicated interest in energy management for months (if not years) and it’s unclear how big of a push the broadband firms will actually make.