Enphase Energy, maker of solar microinverters, is offering solar panel owners a new way to track their solar panels… and keep their home cool or warm.
The Enphase Energy's Environ Smart Thermostat looks and works like a normal thermostat, allowing a user to adjust the temperature of a home, but it also allows users to track their solar panels performance using the Enlighten web-based user interface.
Using Enphase’s system, users can also adjust their home temperatures and view their solar panels using via the Web. This is all made possible by the thermostat using the Envoy Communications Gateway through a Zigbee wireless connection.
“One of the most compelling pieces of the Enphase Microinverter System is the built-in communications and analytics platform. It allows owners to monitor and manage their solar system’s performance through a Web-based interface,” said Paul Nahi, chief executive officer of Enphase Energy.
Nahi said he hopes that homeowners use the Enphase thermostat as a tool to help monitor and control their energy usage.
“Converging these elements into a single platform has the potential to both unite and expand the markets for solar, energy efficiency and smart homes, broadly accelerating the shift to a clean energy economy,” he said.
In order to use the system, users must have a solar Enphase microinverter system connected to their solar panels. This system converts DC power to grid-compliant AC power.
The company said its thermostats are easy to install and can control most common residential heating and cooling systems.
“The communication technology built into every Enphase System enables plug-and-play integration with smart energy devices, making the installation process a simple add-on to solar,” the company stated in a press release.