Click to Print This Page

Back to Article



SmartGridNews.com

The insider's guide to the modernization and automation of electric power

More Smart Gadgets, More Smart Appliances … and More Frustrated Utility Customers
By SGN Staff
Mar 5, 2010 - 12:14:28 PM

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.


It’s the take-away on No. 3 that’s the grabber: The expectation is that these new Smart Grid technologies in the hands of consumers will create significant new demands on some utilities’ customer service capabilities. Are you ready for a whole new wave of customer frustration?

.

You might also be interested in …

Google Smart Grid: PowerMeter (video)

The Smart Home in 2010: From PowerPoints to Pilots

 

Related SGN news and resources …

Home Energy Management

Smart Appliances

 

Stay connected with SGN …

Smart Grid Discussions: Get LinkedIn with Jesse

Smart Grid on Facebook: Be a Fan

Follow Us on Twitter

Try our RSS feed

Get our email digest


Subscribe to our FREE eMail News Alert!

Smart Grid Newsletter (SGN) is the insider's guide to the Smart Grid revolution. It consists of a FREE bi-monthly email summary, along with a companion Web site that contains the full stories and other helpful materials.

Benefits of subscribing: SGN is the only central source for all of the news, trends, research and marketplace information relevant to grid automation. In it, you will read about cutting edge technologies; successful pioneers and how they got ahead; regulatory changes that could unleash new markets; the latest research; and new opportunities for sales of grid-related products and services.



© Copyright 2009 SmartGridNews.com