The advantage of this setup over the app experience is that all devices are being controlled from a single point of interaction, which enables more complex and advanced programming techniques such as macro commands and the use of conditional logic.

Frase Protection Inc., Cordova, Tenn., offers the Alarm.com app for customers who are interested in interactive services, and the company’s salesmen both use the app at their own homes and demonstrate it during every sales presentation.

A media room, however, provides a more inviting look. With seating typically in the form of couches and love seats, the viewing experience is more social.

 One year after launching Nest energy services, Nest Labs, Inc. (www.nest.com), Palo Alto, Calif., announced the results of its Rush Hour Rewards™ and Seasonal Savings™ programs. In summer 2013, Rush Hour Rewards delivered an average of 55 percent energy reduction in residential air conditioning loads during peak times while Seasonal Savings™ helped customers lower their overall air conditioning runtime by 4.7 percent.