Itron is collaborating with Alternative Energy Systems Consulting (AESC) and other companies in a Smart Home Study project funded by California Energy Commission.
Itron will be a leading technology provider in the project that aims to manage load for customers. The project will improve the load shape and minimize customer utility costs for 100 homeowners in southern California.
As the electricity grid changes, an increasing number of customers are installing distributed energy resources (DERs), such as batteries, electric vehicles and solar panels. These resources give customers more control over their energy usage, but also dramatically impact the utility grid.
To help customers utilize and better understand their energy control potential, the Smart Home Study project aims to minimize the negative aspects of DERs while still realizing the benefits of these transformative technologies.
As part of the project, Itron will install its IntelliSOURCE Enterprise Distributed Energy Resource Management System (DERMS) in select homes to communicate with DERs, such as thermostats, load control switches, batteries, water heaters and eventually electric vehicle chargers.
Itron’s solution will allow the utility to control loads from DERs with a combination of software, hardware and services.
“Providing significant savings to users without impacting comfort and convenience, the project will stabilize demand on the grid, nullify negative effects of DERs and still integrate more renewable energy sources into the grid,” said Steve Hambric, vice president of distributed energy management, Itron.