The effort to meaningfully reduce greenhouse gas emissions is dependent on how consumers engage with home energy resources and manage their energy use. From optimizing solar panel systems to adjusting thermostats, consumers can take control of their energy consumption to support sustainability. The key to home energy management is real-time information, which allows consumers to efficiently shift or reduce their electricity usage during expensive peak periods. But most of the existing utility systems provide data that is often delayed or not detailed enough. Consumers and distribution operators are both handicapped by a lack of visibility into energy usage. This results in higher customer bills and increased costs to the electricity system.
Sense, a pioneer in real-time intelligence, offers a solution that provides consumers with a real-time view of the energy being used in their homes at the device level, accessible through a simple mobile app. Sense’s software is embedded in next-generation smart meters, at a marginal incremental cost. This technology is optimizing the grid and revolutionizing the way utilities engage with their customers, while also putting money back into the pockets of consumers.
Sense uses high resolution data (1MHz) and edge computational technology to instantaneously analyze waveforms using sophisticated machine learning algorithms and AI to identify devices and notify customers in real-time when they turn on or off. This immediacy allows consumers to take timely and relevant actions to manage their consumption, resulting in a higher level of impactful engagement for a greater number of people. Sense's ability to identify and provide device specific load information empowers and encourages consumers to customize or adjust the usage of specific appliances in their homes.
Access to real-time data leads to major cost savings. The annual conservation benefit derived from Sense-enabled smart meters (before the implementation of any load flexibility programs) could exceed $1.3 billion annually by the end of the decade. For comparison, California spends about $1 billion a year on energy efficiency programs. According to analysis from The Brattle Group, the per-customer system benefit from the conservation effect is up to $176 per year for the growing number of consumers with increased electrical loads, such as consumers with electric vehicles or heat pumps. The system benefit stems from savings from lower energy usage for a customer not previously exposed to similar information-based energy conservation programs. These savings come from avoided generation, transmission, and distribution capacity costs, as well as avoided greenhouse gas emissions.
As more consumers electrify their homes, Sense’s embedded intelligence provides utility operators with new visibility that can improve both daily and long-term reliability. Utilities will be able to plan and respond to load growth down to the transformer level, an approach that is completely absent in today’s landscape. Operators can use Sense’s data to develop targeted engagement for load flexibility programs such as smart thermostats. These programs not only benefit both consumers and the grid, but also strengthen the relationship between utilities and their consumers.
With millions of new smart meters set to be deployed in the next few years, real-time feedback will play a vital role in achieving a cleaner, more resilient power grid. Sense’s innovative technology empowers both consumers and utilities to forge a new path towards a sustainable energy future while prioritizing affordability and reliability.
