ALAMEDA, Calif.—May 4, 2000—Sage Systems Inc., creator of Aladn™, affordable technology for networking everyday devices to each other and the Internet, and Kaufman and Broad Home Corporation (NYSE: KBH), one of the largest home builders in the United States, today announced a strategic partnership to feature Aladn Internet–enabled devices in Kaufman and Broad’s developments and New Home Showrooms nationwide beginning this year. Sage also announced investments from a consortium of real estate and energy industry executives and companies including Kaufman and Broad, a significant industry leader within Sage’s targeted business markets.
Kaufman and Broad will offer its homebuyers the Aladn Energy Management Suite of products, which includes "intelligent" thermostats, dimming light switches, electrical outlets, personal computer links and gateways that communicate with each other, and through the Internet, to allow an entire new level of functionality. The Aladn devices are networked together using the existing power wires in the home so no new wiring needs to be installed to allow connectivity between devices. An Aladn "gateway" connects this power line local area network to the phone line to enable Internet connectivity. Users of the system "log on" to their home’s secure home page through a standard web browser to initially choose how they want the system to work.
Benefits of Aladn
The programming power and Internet ease of the Aladn system results in a more comfortable, elegant and safe home that saves energy costs. For example, the top energy-hogging devices in the home, the heater and air conditioner, can now be controlled via the Internet through the Aladn system. Users can even turn on the heat or AC remotely via the Internet on an unseasonably hot or cold day, to avoid walking into a sun-baked or icy-cold home. Homeowners can also automatically monitor the power consumption of major appliances, like a refrigerator or freezer, and have the system trigger an e-mail alert if a problem arises. For homeowners who worry if they have left a curling iron or coffee maker turned on, or if they forgot to alarm the security system, they can log on to the Internet to check the status of these devices and adjust the settings as needed. "Aladn-enabled products offer a simple and low-cost way for homebuyers to save energy and take control of their home environments," said Steve Raschke, founder and CEO of Sage Systems. "By selecting Aladn, Kaufman and Broad has provided its customers with value-added features that increase security, save money and make life easier."
Kaufman and Broad’s Aladn-enabled Homes
A recent study by industry analysts Cahners In-Stat Group projects the home networking and residential gateway market to grow from $600 million in 2000 to over $5.7 billion by 2004. With plans to build 24,000 new homes in 350 communities this year, Kaufman and Broad is taking the lead in this market growth by connecting homes to the Internet and offering the Aladn Energy Management Suite to homebuyers. The Aladn Energy Management Suite offered to Kaufman and Broad’s new homebuyers will add to and complement the existing options available for "wired homes".
"Since 1998, the Company has offered packages for high-speed digital Internet access service, home computer networking and video-conferencing products, and integrated home systems and wiring in certain markets," said Glen Barnard, president of e.K.B Inc., Kaufman and Broad’s e-commerce subsidiary. "Adding the Aladn-enabled suite of products is in line with Kaufman and Broad’s philosophy of offering homebuyers maximum choice and value."
Nationwide Kaufman and Broad showrooms function as a showcase for thousands of interior and exterior options and upgrades. They also provide a central resource for home financing, design consulting and information about each of Kaufman and Broad's neighborhood developments. In the showrooms, homebuyers will be able to see working Aladn-enabled devices and appliances. Homeowners who buy the Aladn Energy Management Suite, which costs a few hundred dollars, can include the cost of the system in their mortgage and will be provided with a secure, personal Internet "window" into their new home through Kaufman and Broad’s website, www.kbhome.com
About Sage Systems, Inc.
Sage Systems, Inc. is an Alameda, California-based company that develops and markets affordable distributed intelligence technologies for networking everyday devices™ which give people powerful, intuitive mastery over their home and business environments. Sage Systems’ products are based on its Aladn™ technology, an acronym for "Autonomous Local Area Distributed Network." Find out more and test drive a live Aladn demo at www.SageSys.com.
About Aladn™
Aladn™ is Sage Systems’ proprietary embedded operating system and data networking technology. It uses existing electrical wiring to connect everyday devices (automatic electric meters, thermostats, light switches, electric outlets) and appliances (security systems, televisions, audio/video components, computers, refrigerators) to each other and to the home or business owner via the Internet. Through an Aladn Internet Gateway, Aladn-enabled devices may be remotely controlled or monitored and can report energy consumption, usage patterns, status and health to maximize convenience, security, comfort and energy savings.
About Kaufman and Broad
Kaufman and Broad Home Corporation (NYSE:KBH) is one of the largest homebuilder in the United States. Headquartered in Los Angeles, the Company has operating divisions in Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico and Texas. Kaufman & Broad S.A., the Company's majority owned subsidiary, is also one of the largest homebuilders in France.
Contact:
Caroline Venza
Antenna Group, Inc.
415-977-1939
caroline@antennapr.com