Energy reporting with Echolabs / Ergy

Other Devices & Integrations Power Management
#1

Using the new 1.7 UI there is a tab called ‘Energy’. In order to use it I have to agree with the terms and conditions of Echo Labs. Those terms and conditions do not specify what Echo Labs is planning to do with that data or what data exactly is sent to Echo Labs. It does say:
9.1. For information about ECHO?s data protection practices, please read ECHO?s privacy policy at http://www.ECHOLabs.net This policy explains how ECHO treats your personal information, and protects your privacy, when you use the Services.

Unfortunately, the www.echolabs.net website does not contain a privacy policy. The fact that the website contains the word ‘privacy’ only twice where one is in the terms and conditions page itself. This makes the next paragraph the more troublesome:
9.3. ECHO may use the information it obtains relating to You, including, but not limited to, Your Internet Protocol (“IP”) address, name, mailing address, email address, cellular phone information, and use of the Web Site, for its internal business and marketing purposes and may disclose the information to third parties for such purposes, strictly subject to the privacy specifications set forth in the ECHO?s Privacy/Security Policy available on the Company’s Website.

I understand that micasaverde is not responsible for the Echo Labs service. However, since you guys are partners, I would expect some more info on:

  1. exactly what it is I get when I accept the terms and conditions
  2. what data will my vera device send to Echo Labs
  3. a direct link to the privacy policy from Echo labs

I’m assuming this will be added in the final release of 1.7, but just to make sure I figured it wouldn’t hurt to address it here as well. Also you might want to push Echo Labs to create a privacy policy or make an existing policy (?) findable.

#2

There is still no privacy policy on their site (as of Mar 28, 2015). I sent them an email asking for a link to it. If they ever respond, I’ll attach it to this thread.

Gene

#3

Actually, I refused to use it due to the unclear policy. I was in real need of some monitoring this week so I was going to use it for a few day which is all I needed. However, it did not even work so the unclear policy became a moot point. I do hope that eventually they will fix the issues and also become clearer about the policy.

#4

I wasn’t aware of the privacy policy of Echo labs (didn’t read the terms when accepting). This was my own fault. Recentrly I read on a other forum that there is a policy of Echo labs that states they are owner of the usage data.

2,5 years ago I subscribed to the ergy plus service contract with lots of analysing possibilities. However I am very dissapointed because readings of devices are many times negative although I don’t have renewables. According to Micasaverde the vera lite is okay. I tried several times in the 2,5 years to contact Echo labs but didn’t receive any reaction at all. My contract is ending and I am looking for alternatives but there are none. The opensource alternative where you can store usagedata on a USB stick I cannot fix (datamine plugin).

So I am bound to Echo labs :-X :-X :-X :-X Hopefully I get some reaction now.