What role does broadband have to play in the future of smart grids and energy conservation? A lot, according to some very interesting presentations recently at Verizon’s Washington, D.C. headquarters.

The event, titled “Thinking ‘Outside’ the Smart-Meter Box,” was organized by the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE) and hosted by Verizon. Kathy Brown, Verizon’s SVP for Public Policy Development and Corporate Responsibility, kicked off the event by noting that, “information technology will lead us to be a more energy efficient people.”

Karen Ehrhardt of ACEEE began the discussion by reviewing new research on consumer behavior regarding energy consumption. She presented products that will help consumers decrease their energy use, including broadband-enabled smart meters. Kat Donnelly of MIT followed by highlighting consumer feedback technologies as well as presenting on some of the social barriers to adoption of new energy tracking tools. She said the primary barrier is the fact that energy is now an invisible resource – people are disconnected from their actual consumption.

Finally, Benson Hougland of Opto 22 gave a live demonstration of technologies he installed in his home to track energy consumption. Hougland was able to control appliances in his home in California remotely from the event in DC, measure energy usage in real-time, and calculate cost savings due to energy conservation. All of these technologies were made possible by connecting his electricity meter to his broadband modem. Though Hougland wrote special software to allow for the seamless integration of all his appliances, his presentation exemplified the power of broadband and provided a window into a future where the consumer has more control over their energy consumption. A future that, thanks to innovative broadband networks, is just around the corner.

Click below to watch archived footage from the event, as well as an interview with Benson Hougland.

Leave a Reply

You must be logged in to post a comment.