A decade ago, long before the Internet of Things was an industry buzzword, Reliant, a Texas-based energy company owned by NRG, began installing smart meters in homes across central and eastern Texas to read energy consumption per house more than once a month. First was a weekly email to prevent “sticker shock” by showing a customer usage for the past week. Later came a mobile app, and earlier this year, it debuted voice commands through Google’s smart speakers and thermostats from Google’s sister company, Nest.
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This story first appeared in the July 23, 2018, issue of Adweek magazine. Click here to subscribe.
