Research firm and Connections conference host Parks Associates reports that about 10 million smart, wirelessly connected thermostats, lights, power strips and plugs were sold last year, and it predicts that figure will nearly double to 19 million units by 2017, with a commensurate growth in market value from $850 million to $1.6 billion.

But for the most part, the connected home business hasn’t found energy savings to be a big selling point, even when that’s the ostensible primary function of the device in question. Nest’s breakout success in the smart thermostat field -- and Google's decision to spend $3.2 billion to acquire it -- has arguably had far more to do with its design and marketing success than its differentiation from other smart thermostats in terms of energy-saving capability, for example.

From the article "The Connected Home: Reaching Critical Mass for the Grid?" by Jeff St. John.

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