National Grid, a leading utility provider in the Northeast, today announced the introduction of its ConnectedSolutions platform in Massachusetts and Rhode Island. The innovative consumer energy platform leverages Earth Networks’ WeatherBug Home® technology to let customers connect and manage smart devices and appliances for their home or business.
National Grid’s platform is designed to help customers conveniently reduce energy use in the summer, when energy demand is high. ConnectedSolutions will help reduce energy use during periods of peak demand (reducing regional energy costs), protect the environment by lowering emissions, and support state and local energy initiatives.
“National Grid is committed to customer convenience and reducing energy costs,” said Carlos Nouel, National Grid’s leader of the New Energy Solutions division. “By utilizing WeatherBug Home, the ConnectedSolutions platform provides our customers with energy intelligence that does the work for you to maximize savings and comfort. We are excited to introduce this to Massachusetts and Rhode Island customers, and eventually, roll it out across our entire service area.”
National Grid is introducing ConnectedSolutions to eligible Massachusetts and Rhode Island electric customers and in the coming months, expanding the platform to New York. Powered by WeatherBug Home’s Internet of Things (IoT)-centric approach to bring additional energy intelligence and value, the platform will initially work with Honeywell and ecobee smart thermostats, and expand over time to additional connected devices including washers, dryers and hot water heaters.
ConnectedSolutions utilizes WeatherBug Home’s ability to integrate proprietary weather data (50% of a home’s energy usage is driven by weather) with patented thermodynamic modeling and energy consumption data from connected devices.
“We are pleased to team up with National Grid to bring our big data capabilities and proven energy intelligence platform to homes and businesses across Massachusetts. The value of our IoT-centric approach to energy management was affirmed by a recent National Grid residential pilot finding that WeatherBug Home’s HVAC control and optimization capabilities saved 16.5% in electricity usage when cooling homes, compared to 5.1% HVAC savings from a connected thermostat,” said Bob Marshall, chief executive officer, Earth Networks. “It is rewarding to see pioneering utilities such as National Grid seek new ways to deliver superior service and value to customers, and we are excited to work closely with National Grid on this platform.”
Key ConnectedSolutions benefits for consumers include:
- Online and Mobile App: ConnectedSolutions is a customer platform to connect smart home appliances and devices. Access to devices is provided via a mobile app and an online customer portal.
- Peak Optimization: During times of heavy air conditioning use or other times when there is constraint on the electrical grid, ConnectedSolutions will automatically optimize customer usage to maintain comfort, while helping National Grid alleviate peak load demand to keep regional energy costs low. Customers can opt out of this automated feature at any time.
- Significant Incentives & Savings: Massachusetts and Rhode Island customers who sign up for ConnectedSolutions have the opportunity to earn incentives of up to $50 per device by participating and see additional bill savings of up to $35.
- Intelligent Weather Optimization for Wi-Fi Thermostats: ConnectedSolutions predicts exactly how much energy is needed to maintain desired temperatures and how long it will take to reach them. ConnectedSolutions automatically adjusts customers’ Wi-Fi thermostats.
To learn more about the ConnectedSolutions Program, visit this page.
An overview of WeatherBug Home may be found here.
