Here's an interesting tidbit buried in a release from People Power, a latecomer to the home and building energy management market.

Some of the networking technology comes from U.C. Berkeley professor Dave Culler. In the early part of the decade, Culler ran a lablet for Intel on the U.C. Berkeley campus that concentrated in part on open-source sensor networks. It was part of a push toward pervasive or extroverted computing where computers would gather data from the outside world and then use it to concoct computer commands. Back then, people talked about these sensor networks to help take care of elderly people at home (Dad hasn't sat in his chair yet or taken his meds. Tell the computer to call 911) or for observing animals in the wild. With energy now a paramount concern, it looks like they might have retrofitted the sensor systems. (Adura Technologies, which is already on its way, also came out of Berkeley.)

Intel does not appear to be directly involved in the company, but some off the research it funded might.

The chip giant in the last few months has signaled that it is interested in getting its silicon and other products into the home management market. Energy management is the Trojan Horse to wider applications for home automation.