After analyzing and cross-examining 3,495 patents filed with the USPTO, MIC (Market Intelligence and Consulting Institute), a Taipei-based ICT research institute, has found that by share of patents, US companies took up 57.7%, Japanese companies seized 23.1%, Korean companies held 11.5%, and European companies represented 7.7%.

"US ICT companies have invested extensively into smart home data switching network technologies while US and European system integrators and home appliance vendors have invested a great deal of effort into the development of automatic power control systems, power generation/distribution systems, and electrical power measurement systems," says David Chen, a industry analyst with MIC.

"Meanwhile, Google and Nest Labs recently have been developing HVAC control and temperature control systems, electrical power distribution control system, and data switching networks."

In the future, smart home energy management is expected to become part of people's lives, providing comprehensive smart home services that connect individual homes, power systems, and portable electronic devices. Driven by the IoT trends, US, European, Korean, and Japanese companies who own most of smart home energy management patents are going to continue influencing the development of global smart home energy management industry. Their technology development and products merit a closer look.