The ECHONET Consortium was established in 1997 with the aim of creating an abundant 21st-century society where people and the environment live in harmony. The Consortium has promoted the establishment of standard specifications, Echonet Lite, for a home network infrastructure that is capable of interconnecting home appliances, facility devices, sensors, and controllers supplied by multiple vendors, to cope with environmental issues, energy problems, CO2 emission reductions, and an aging society.