Do you know exactly how much electricity your appliances and appliances use when you are away from home? Or how often do energy costs fluctuate? These factors are increasingly important to consider such as electricity prices soar and the power failure becomes a more common occurrence. That’s what Schneider Electric wants to help.
The energy management company recently announced Schneider Home, a system that promises insight and control over the electricity in your home through an app on your phone. It includes a smart power board, backup battery, electric vehicle charger, solar inverter, smart light switch, dimmer and smart socket. Naturally, it doesn’t come cheap, around $10,000 for a complete system. Not to mention, the installation will be interrupted.
U.S. Department of Energy sees home energy management system (HEMS) as an important piece of the puzzle towards a smarter grid. But HEMS comes in many shapes and sizes. Many of us have put together retrofit systems with smart thermostat, smart plugand Wi-Fi connected devices. By adding solar panels to generate electricity and batteries for storage, with an overhead control system, those who can afford these systems can significantly reduce their energy usage.
Schneider’s method wanted to simplify the whole process. With one complete installation, you can monitor electricity usage throughout your home, look at the consumption per appliance, and see exactly what it all costs. You can set up automation to reduce wasted energy. For example, you can schedule different outlets and lights to automatically turn off when you’re at work—this could cut off the TV’s power, smart speakerand other Unnecessary vampire in standby mode, and specify that appliances such as your refrigerator should stay on. You can schedule electric car charger during off-peak hours or overnight, when electricity is at its cheapest. With home batteries and solar panels, you can store energy during the day and use it during peak hours to save money. The battery also allows you to keep power on for specific outlets if the power goes out.
Modular home energy management
Photo: Schneider
The brains of this system is Schneider Pulse, a smart panel that connects the energy sources in your home, giving you granular control through the Schneider Home app. It allows you to balance the power distribution, which can be especially useful for those with capacity limitations. The system has smart features to balance your load, which can turn off the EV charger when you cook dinner and restart it once you’re done to reduce the load.
