Echelon and Green Energy Options Ltd. (GEO) just announced that they will be collaborating to build new energy displays for Echelon’s Networked Energy Services system. GEO’s displays will communicate with Echelon’s NES smart meters via Zigbee wireless protocols, bringing back information about current and historical energy use as well as energy pricing and displaying it in a format that is easy for consumers to read and understand. This collaboration dovetails nicely with the UK’s new requirement that every home be furnished with both a smart meter and a display by 2020.
In a press release, Mark Ossel, Echelon’s vice president of Energy & Utility, commented on the collaboration:
“Moving forward, complete automation of the grid will become the norm, and this will be based on real-time energy use information. Extending the NES System by working with companies like GEO makes our NES System the key piece of the smart grid infrastructure that informs and engages consumers. We believe that it offers the best solution to both energy providers and consumers to move the smart grid forward.”