More Smart Gadgets, More Smart Appliances … and More Frustrated Utility Customers

Some interesting developments this week in the home energy management / smart appliance space, especially if you take them as a whole.  

1.     First was Google’s decision to unleash developers interested in integrating in-home/plug level energy-monitoring devices with its PowerMeter.  Google’s PowerMeter API code info is here.

2.     Then there’s Zpryme’s new report that projects from 2011 to 2015, the global household smart appliance market will grow from $3.06 billion to $15.12 billion and that in 2015, the global market size for smart washers and smart refrigerators will reach $3.54 billion and $2.69 billion, respectively. Download the report.

So we’ve got consumers fiddling with all sorts of gadgets to monitor home energy use and they’re buying up smart appliances right and left to be more efficient and hopefully save some money on their utility bills. All good so far …

3.     But then comes the TELUS-sponsored IDC white paper that predicts 60 million households will be using new communication technology to monitor and control home power consumption in the next three years and 50 percent of utilities will have fully deployed Smart Grid technology by 2012. Read the press release.