Eve's New Energy-Monitoring Smart Outlet Is the First to Have Matter

For those who dislike bulky smart plugs and “wall warts,” a smart outlet is usually the go-to solution for home automation. Now, Eve is preparing to launch the Energy Outlet, a Thread-enabled and Matter-compatible smart outlet that can monitor your energy consumption.

The Eve Energy Outlet has two receptacles and can accept a max load of 1800 watts, just like a normal outlet. Design-wise, Eve Energy Outlet is very minimalist, though it uses a pair of green LEDs to indicate when each receptacle is turned on or off.

All major smart home platforms, including HomeKit, Google Home, Samsung SmartThings, and Amazon Alexa, are compatible with the Eve Energy Outlet. That said, smart home integration requires a Matter controller with Thread border router functionality. You can find alist of compatible Matter controllerson Eve’s website.

Each of the Eve Energy Outlet’s receptacles are independantly controlled. Smart home automation allows you to trigger the Eve Energy Outlet using external devices, such as a motion sensor or smart lock. Of course, this device supports routines and voice commands from compatible smart home platforms. And if you just want to use it for energy monitoring, that’s fine, too.

Unfortunately, the Matter standard still doesn’t support energy monitoring. If you’re using Google Home or Amazon Alexa, you must open the Eve app to view your energy consumption data. This may change as Matter improves, and to be fair, HomeKit and SmartThings users can see energy monitoring data in their respective apps.

And there’s a clear downside to the Eve Energy Outlet—it needs to be hardwired. If you aren’t comfortable replacing an outlet, or if you’re renting, you’re probably better off with a smart plug. There are already a handful of energy-monitoring smart plugs that support Matter, includingEve’s smart plug.

The Eve Energy Outlet costs $50 and launches on February 6th, 2024. A Matter-compatible version of the Eve Light Switch is slated for mid-2024 and also costs $50. Eve is also preparing to offer a line of made-to-order roller blinds for its smartMotionBlinds kit, though you can already buy compatible roller blinds from third-party suppliers.