by psvish
7. February 2011 02:57
Home automation and home energy management go through cycles of popularity where it looks like every major utility and industry company announce splashy initiatives in the field. The finely crafted press releases breathlessly proclaim that life as we have known will be changed forever and we all will live in a new brave world where the utility systems, smart grids, home networks and energy management systems will seamlessly work to make life more comfortable while reducing peak loads and reducing our energy bills. We seem to have hit one of that peak cycles now. Just a sampling of PR that came across our mailbox:
- Intel's Home Energy Dashboard that will be installed and supported by global IT services company, CapGemini which has set up a new Smart Energy Services unit to promote such initiatives to the utility industry.
- Comverge just announced the release of IntelliSource 2.0 which the company says comes with enhancements across its portfolio of next-generation software, hardware and services. According to the company, these include "integrated dynamic pricing and C+I customer support; new smart thermostats and digital control units; intuitive display technology for customer engagement in energy management programs."
- Echelon, the developer of the LON and a long time presence in home and building automation markets, has announced its Echelon Building Energy Management solution, a new energy-saving offering for commercial, government and education facilities.
- Digi International, a wireless network products and services company, has introduced its "Smart Grid Now” bundles for utilities to conduct energy management pilot programs in areas with Advanced Meter Reading (AMR) or Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) networks in place. These bundles include 25 ConnectPort Smart Energy Gateways, iDigi cloud service and iPhone and Android applications.
It's too early to tell how long this new cycle will last or if this is finally the time that home energy management coupled with home automation finally takes off. But the breathless nature of the announcements gives one pause: can one truly have a "free lunch" where we get lower energy consumption, higher comfort and complete control over energy use from utility side, all due to a display device in the home? There are costs involved in delivering on this promise and somebody has to pay those costs. Done right, they can be allocated in such a way that the costs are in proportion to the benefits each party receives which then can lead to economies of scale that can lead to lower prices and improved benefits to all involved. Stay tuned and we will keep you updated on how this latest round goes...
On a lighter note, as a provider of software products and services, this Dilbert strip is just too right-on! Enjoy.
Track. Report. Analyze. Manage.
