Flo smart home water monitoring system gets Amazon Alexa support

We looked at the Flo smart home water monitoring system as part of our CES 2018 coverage. It was a really innovative method using machine learning to keep tabs on your water usage, check for leaks, detect problems, and potentially turn off the water when something really bad happens. Now, it has Amazon Alexa support. So questions like “Alexa, ask Flo home much water I’ve used today” should be on deck. As neat as that is, I would hope that there’s more proactive applications to the integration as well. Either way, it’s great to see Flo extending to the wider home automation (HA) ecosystem. I look forward to seeing the product develop further.

FLO STARTS MAKING A DENT IN THE U.S. TRILLION GALLON LEAK ISSUESmart home leak detection system ushers in the “Internet of Useful Things” by proactively protecting homes from leaksLOS ANGELES – February 6, 2018 – In the U.S., more than a trillion gallons of water are wasted because of leaks each year, and more than a third of U.S. homeowners have suffered losses from water damage. After a sold-out early adopter program in Q4 ‘17, Flo, the first whole-home leak solution system, announced it’s officially shipping, providing homeowners a proactive solution for home leak detection and protection.

In addition to shipping, Flo is also expanding its Smart Home capabilities with its first integration with Amazon Alexa. After linking a Flo device to Alexa, homeowners’ can ask Alexa for updates on their water usage throughout the day. This first skill empowers users to take steps towards being mindful of their water consumption and also enables awareness to potential issues such as continuously running toilets that are wasting both water and dollars.

Priced at $499, Flo is the first product on the market with a comprehensive solution to the residential leak problem. The Flo device utilizes pressure, temperature, and flow sensors along with proprietary machine learning to detect leaks as small as a drop per minute anywhere in the home’s water system. Flo then also has proactive technologies that monitor the home in real time as well as a whole-home test done to ensure the home is leak free and protected.

“I vividly remember opening the door to my family’s home after a vacation. I saw water raining down from the ceiling,” said Gabriel Halimi, CEO and Co-Founder of Flo Technologies. “At Flo Technologies our purpose is to prevent loss, one drip at a time, and we believe that with Flo we can help proactively prevent families from going through the same physical and financial stress that my family experienced. Our integration with Alexa is a natural progression on our journey to help homeowners understand their water consumption and also protect their homes.”

On average, 13 percent of a home’s water is lost to leaks and over $8,500 is paid per water damage claim in the U.S. Under this kind of pressure, the technology and preventive approach of Flo are a step change for the industry:

• Preventative Technology – Most systems use point moisture sensors or basic water metering technology limited to flow to detect leaks after-the-fact. Flo measures all vital characteristics in real-time, including water pressure, temperature and flow rates in the water system to detect vulnerabilities and prevent damage.
• Multi-Sensor Approach – Flo is the only system to monitor water pressure, which is the only way to detect leaks as small as a drop or two per minute. Those drops are key early indicators of burst pipes or mold damage behind walls.
• Learning Algorithms – FloSense™ machine learning technology personalizes Flo’s conservation and security monitoring to the individual home.
• Proactive System-wide – Unlike a multitude of individual point moisture sensors that have to be placed in perceived trouble areas, a single Flo device works throughout the home. Its Microleak™ technology proactively checks for the smallest vulnerabilities anywhere in the home water system.
• Water Shut-off – If something critical happens, Flo can alert users via its mobile app and stop water to the home. In the case of these catastrophic events, if the user doesn’t respond to the alert, Flo will then shut-off the water to protect the home.
• Visible & Invisible Leaks – Flo is a whole-home solution and therefore can detect leaks anywhere in the water system, whether it’s a running toilet or leaking pipe behind a wall.
• Repair Diagnostics – Flo can connect users to their local plumbing professionals or help recommend a plumber through their national partnership with American Leak Detection, while providing plumbers advanced diagnostics of potential problems – saving time and money.
• Conservation – Flo continually learns and shows usage patterns in real-time. Users can check their current water usage, compare historical patterns, and set and monitor conservation goals.
• Insurance Discounts – Insurance companies are already offering discounts on premiums making Flo self-funding for the homeowner over time. Some users are already receiving discounts up to $700 off their annual premiums.

Flo Excels Under Pressure

The technology and preventive approach of Flo are a step change for the industry, and its pressure capabilities are key.

“Water pressure in your home is like blood pressure in your body, and just as high blood pressure can cause your body damage, high water pressure can cause bursts in pipes, fixtures and appliances. By proactively monitoring pressure every second of the day, Flo can prevent this danger, and by analyzing its fluctuations, can detect the smallest of breaches faster and more accurately than any other home solution,” explained Halimi.

Professional Plumbers Always On Hand

Flo offers nationwide installation, leak detection and repair capabilities through an exclusive partnership with American Leak Detection (ALD), America’s leading and most respected pin-point leak detection specialist company. If a user doesn’t have a regular plumber in mind, this partnership gives them access to a network of over 1,000 plumbers servicing over 200,000 homes and offers them an end-to-end solution for home water management – able to prevent, detect and repair faulty plumbing all while saving money and the environment. ALD operates across the United States and in Australia, Canada and the UK enabling an international growth trajectory for Flo.

Founded by a Fluid Mechanical Engineer

Flo is the culmination of more than 10 years of development by company Co-Founder Henry Halimi, a Mechanical Engineer with more than 25 years’ experience. He spent 10 years as a forensic plumbing expert and legal witness assessing the cause of thousands of homeowners’ insurance claims.

Pricing and Shipping

Flo, which was awarded a CES 2018 Innovations Award Honoree in the Smart Home category, is available for purchase now on its website, priced at $499. For further information visit www.meetflo.com

-Ends-About Flo Technologies, Inc.

Founded in 2015, Flo Technologies, Inc. is a family company providing innovative and accessible technology solutions that enable and transform the control and conservation of water at home. Flo Technologies has raised more than $11 million through a Series A funding round led by leading VC firm Crosslink Capital, with participation from Anthemis Group and an affiliate of USAA, a financial services provider. The company’s first product, Flo, is a home water monitoring and shut-off system and the first device on the market to sense water pressure, flow rate and temperature while using machine learning to learn homeowner’s usage patterns. For further information visit www.meetflo.com