HEMS: A no-brainer?

March 27, 2013 | By Barbara Vergetis Lundin

Some in the industry have touted home energy management systems (HEMS) as the next smart grid killer app. However, no one told homeowners and other residential energy consumers.

In the U.S., only 5 percent of adults expect to purchase a home energy management system over the next 12 months, according to Zpryme research. Currently, just 6.8 percent own or use home energy management systems. Without education, engagement and targeted marketing by utilities, HEMS adoption will remain flat over the next year.

HEMS could be the string that ties the smart grid together. As more electric vehicles are rolled out, consumers will need an energy management system to see how much electricity they are using to charge their vehicles. Automated HEMS tied to the grid could do everything from turning off the lights to controlling the thermostat, appliances, and electronics -- taking the guesswork out of energy management and making energy efficiency a no-brainer.

But in order for HEMS to catch hold, consumers must share the same vision as industry.

According to Zpryme, organizations like the Energy Information Standards (EIS) Alliance are bridging the technical gap by developing a common framework for customer equipment to generate, use and communicate energy data, but utilities will need to play a part in order to win over customers. -- Barb