Andersen Corp. was the only window and door manufacturer at this year's Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. The Bayport-based company also walked away as an "Innovation Honoree" in the smart home category at this year's show for its VeriLock technology.
CES is the premier event for consumer electronics and still a must-attend event for developing technology companies.
Andersen's VeriLock technology can tell homeowners if windows and doors are open, but it also signals homeowners through a variety of connected devices if those windows and doors are locked.
Ted Swanson is enterprise director of research, development and innovation at Andersen and helped develop the VeriLock technology.
He said while other home monitoring systems can alert homeowners if a window is open, the added ability of determining if those doors and windows are locked is an energy conservation bonus.
When a window or door is in a properly locked position, it compresses the weather sealing around the opening creating a tighter more energy efficient seal, Swanson said. "A window is three times more energy-efficient in the locked position."
The VeriLock technology was introduced on Andersen's E-Series of Windows and Doors two and a half years ago. The E-Series product line is one of Andersen's premium architectural brands for custom homebuilders and light industrial use.
Starting in March, the technology will be available on Andersen's 400 series, its most popular line of windows and doors.
It also will be a retrofitted product for the 400 series, so owners of previously installed windows and doors can now add the VeriLock technology as either a DIY project or as part of a home security system through industry leaders Honeywell Security or ADT Security.
Existing home security systems monitor if a window is opened or closed, but to achieve that, third-party companies generally drill into the jambs to install sensors on window and door frames. Those installations can void Andersen's product warranties. The retrofit product would be inside the locking mechanisms.
The Internet of Things space is exploding. According to information technology research firm Gartner Inc., there were 3.9 billion connected things in use in 2014 and they expect 25 billion things to be connected by 2020.
Besides partnering with Honeywell and ADT, Andersen also has partnered with other companies to allow homeowners to create their own self-monitoring programs.
"We are seeing that our partners are connecting with other parts of the ecosystem," Swanson said. "They are taking our products and connecting them to places we originally never thought of. It's pretty great to have good partners in this space."
Smart home technology has been far from perfect. Swanson said Andersen was mindful in picking its partners and following the emerging industry standards on safety and security.
This is the second time that Andersen has displayed at CES.
Last year at CES, Andersen Windows was a partner in the booth of Nexia, a smart home automation system company. This year Andersen displayed multiple products in the smart home area.
Andersen generally attends homebuilding trade shows such as Greenbuild, a conference for the green building community; PCBC (formerly Pacific Coast Builders Conference); JLC Live (the Journal of Light Constructions annual trade show); and the AIA Convention (American Institute of Architects).
Swanson is part Andersen's 120 member research, development and innovation team, and leads the smart home team of five that started development of the VeriLock technology in 2012. Sales bottomed in the window and door industry that year; but privately held Andersen saw continued investment in innovation as a key strategy toward growth.
"We have a long list of concepts in our innovation pipeline," Swanson said.
Patrick Kennedy • 612-673-7926
