Smart Energy Insights

The smart home has reached the tipping point. 19% of broadband households own a product that can be monitored or controlled with a smartphone, tablet, or computer. While lights, locks, thermostats, and networked cameras have been the leading categories of connected products for many years, the breadth of connected products is also growing. New categories, such as door bells and sprinkler controls, are entering the market in increasing numbers.

The security channel remains th ...read more

Top 5 Takeaways – Consumer Value Propositions of Smart Home Systems

The core value propositions for smart home systems are safety and security, followed by energy management services. At Smart Energy Summit last February, speakers on the session “Role of Energy Management in Smart Home Solutions” discussed the opportunities associated with incorporating energy management solutions into the smart home as well as challenges in creating value successful propositions and develop ...read more

Smart home systems providers vary in their strategies to provide home energy management solutions. At Smart Energy Summit, speakers on the session “Integrating Comprehensive Energy Management Solutions into Smart Home Systems” focused on the perceived value of services for home energy management solutions, as well as benefits, challenges, and future strategies in integrating energy information with smart home solutions. Participants include:

• Ramon Alvarez, Senior Directo ...read more

Solar technology installed behind the meter has implications for utilities, because excess energy flows back into the grid. Utility-scale solar must be managed as an asset in energy markets. Wherever solar exists on the grid, it has an impact on utility Demand Response (DR) and Energy Efficency (EE) initiatives.

Smart Energy Summit featured executives from Vivint Solar, Austin Energy, Silver Spring Networks, SunPower Corporation, and Enphase addressing the state of the solar ...read more

Distributed generation and storage technology is driving cost reductions for solar technology, while tax incentives and third-party financing have made installation even more affordable. Retail parity, the point that the installed cost of solar is less than the retail price of electricity, is here in different regions of the country, and is nearly here in the remaining areas.

Batteries have traditionally been too expensive for widespread installation, but the price curve for ...read more

As energy markets open access to non-load-serving entities, the opportunity for third parties to directly participate and profit in energy markets is increasing. Energy markets are also creating new rules for ancillary markets to utilize fast-acting smart products that can add or remove load in response to frequency fluctuations.

Smart Energy Summit featured executives from Itron, Comverge, Schneider Electric North America, WeatherBug Home, and DOE addressing the changing de ...read more

The Federal Regulatory Energy Commission (FERC) Order No. 745 requires that RTOs and ISOs pay demand response resources participating in the day-ahead and real-time wholesale energy markets, the locational marginal price (LMP).

Traditional utility Demand Response (DR) programs provide financial incentives for shifting load during peak events. However, DR can be applied in many ways beyond peak events. New approaches are different from typical demand response solutions in sev ...read more

Nearly 20% of U.S. broadband households own at least one smart home device, and over 40% plan to buy one in the next 12 months. These devices open new opportunities for both Energy Efficiency (EE) and Demand Response (DR) programs by using new approaches to reduce consumption and shift load throughout the product lifetime.

Despite the long list of benefits associated with integrating smart products into energy programs, utilities need to understand the strengths, weaknesses, ...read more