REDWOOD CITY, CA -- (Marketwire) -- 01/08/13 -- EcoFactor®, the leader in predictive cloud-based services for home energy management, was awarded a United States patent for the optimization of plug-in air conditioners and heating systems, on December 25, 2012.

EcoFactor's latest U.S. patent (No. 8,340,826) covers a novel method for extending the benefits of the company's cloud-based energy management system to plug-in air conditioners and space heaters. It is the 10th patent the company has received for its innovative approach to residential energy management. A large number of additional EcoFactor patent applications are currently pending.

EcoFactor's down-to-earth application of cloud computing combines weather information with knowledge gained from connected thermostats. Its services apply proprietary analytics and algorithms and make ongoing, individualized micro-adjustments to each connected home's temperature settings. It delivers double-digit percentage reductions in HVAC bills for consumers, as well as double-digit increases in demand response yield -- even as it increases consumer satisfaction and comfort.

"This patent points the way to a great application of our approach to big cities and other environments where centralized HVAC is less common. It will enable EcoFactor to offer significant savings and other tangible benefits to a whole new group of consumers," said John Steinberg, executive vice president and co-founder, EcoFactor. "EcoFactor has been zigging where others zagged for quite a while now. Getting this kind of recognition from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office never gets old, and encourages us to continue to add to our portfolio of patents as we bring our services to consumers throughout North America."

About EcoFactor
EcoFactor delivers predictive cloud-based home energy management services that improve energy efficiency, reduce energy bills and vastly increase DR efficacy -- all while maintaining consumer comfort. EcoFactor's patented big-data analytics and algorithms continually monitor, adapt and optimize each home's temperature settings incorporating massive amounts of data -- including the home's thermodynamics, family comfort preferences and schedules, plus external data such as weather. The company provides homeowners significant cost savings automatically, without the need to manually adjust temperature levels or change behavior.

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