SmartThings Customers to Gain Access to Energy Management Controls

SmartThings users will be able to connect their utility accounts with Enersponse, a distributed energy resource management provider, and automate their smart home devices to cut back on energy use in response to real-time factors such as grid emergencies, the companies said Friday. Users with access to utility integrations and grid services programs via the SmartThings Energy service will be able to throttle thermostats, hot water heaters and electric vehicle chargers in response to extreme weather, system outages and energy pricing fluctuations, they said. Partnering with SmartThings “is a massive step forward, enabling residential energy users to play a much more active role in the journey towards energy decarbonization,” said Enersponse CEO James McPhail, which is making its first entry into the residential market. Historically, utilities issue flex alerts and expect end-users to manually power down if they want to save money. Using Enersponse’s intelligent automation platform allows users to program their response and take control of their power bill, the company said. Customers can preset their schedules with preferences for how much they're willing to shift their energy usage. Changes can be “aggressive or nearly imperceptible,” it said, giving examples of reducing smart thermostat settings by two degrees when grid demand surges or delaying a dishwasher cycle until after peak hours.