home area networks with mobile applications · 9/20/2012 · home area networks with mobile...

HOME AREA NETWORKS WITH MOBILE APPLICATIONS NEGAWATT

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SAN DIEGO GAS AND ELECTRIC COMPANY EMERGING TECHNOLOGIES PROGRAM ASSESSMENT REPORT PROJECT ID DR11SDGE0006

HOME AREA NETWORKS WITH

MOBILE APPLICATIONS

FINAL REPORT PREPARED FOR AHMED ABDULLAH, ERIC MARTINEZ SAN DIEGO GAS AND ELECTRIC COMPANY 8306 CENTURY PARK COURT SAN DIEGO, CA 92123

PREPARED BY NEGAWATT CONSULTING, INC. WWW.NEGAWATTCONSULT.COM 9/20/2012

http://www.negawattconsult.com/


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Acknowledgements

San Diego Gas and Electric Company and the authors of this report would like to acknowledge the

assistance and cooperation of our host sites, SDG&E residential homes, and the residents who went out

of their way to allow for our onsite testing and interviews. We would also like to thank the technology

vendor that we evaluated, for their contributions above and beyond, and for their willingness to share

more details about their products and services than the average customer would ever want to know.

Disclaimer

While SDG&E and the authors of this report did their best to come up with sensible results and

recommendations, this report is provided as-is. The models, figures, formulas, and recommendations

may not be appropriate or accurate for some situations. It is the reader’s responsibility to verify this

report and apply the findings appropriately when used in another settings or context. Readers are

responsible for all decisions and actions taken based on this report, and for all consequences thereof.


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Executive Summary

This review primarily investigates the demand response (DR) and control capability of the Home Area

Network (HAN) technology along with the integration of a mobile application. Secondarily, it estimates

the energy saving potential and discusses user feedback.

The HAN system with Mobile Apps boasts to monitor and control home devices from the vendor online

portal or via a proprietary mobile application for iPhone or Android platforms. Home devices can

include thermostats, pool pumps, and other devices that can be plugged into a standard electrical

outlet. It has direct support for DR with the ability to program functional responses from the devices.

The system can monitor home energy consumption via installed CT clamps on power lines and report

the measurements to the HAN system for user observation. There are two main communication paths,

RF and Powerline. This review will go over the technology as a whole and estimate the appropriate

mass market expandability into the SDG&E market.

For testing purposes, SDG&E territory customers with electric bills over $100, utilizing an AC system

(priority) and potentially owning a pool (less critical) were selected. They were given the opportunity to

program their own demand control strategy and choose what devices, and to what extent, they would

include in DR.

The technology was successful in providing a power drop during a simulated DR event. The range of

power drops that were found during the simulated DR event was from 0.1kW to 1.9kW. The low range

was with customers who only wished to dim lights as opposed to a customer who raised multiple

thermostat set-points and cycled his pool pump to 2 min on/2 min off (from always on).

The users responded with various installation and connectivity issues, most of which were fixable and

with little troubleshooting, information immediately available. However, the users responded positively

to their experience and specifically to the advantages of having a mobile application to aid in monitoring

and control of their devices. There were issues with the DR functionality found during short simulation

events created during the evaluation, but the vendor is near completion of updates to avoid these

experiences.

The reviewed technology also has the positive feature of having two communication methods. The

devices are able to communicate over Powerline and RF. This is advantageous if the technology is

ported to multiple dwelling residencies where there may be more than one meter being used, so the

HAN can be crossed over via RF onto a new home circuit for a new Powerline. Although, not reviewed in

this field evaluation, the vendor provides an additional device that will allow direct connection to a

Smart Meter to avoid some installation issues and provide capability to receive DR and price messages

from the Utility.

The potential market for this technology was assessed based on customer applicability to the

technology. With approximately 1.4 million smart meters currently deployed (both small commercial

and residential), it was found that 10% of residential customers (approximately 126,000) would benefit


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most from this technology. The following table shows energy and post savings per household based on

the number of DR days that would be enabled in a single year. The savings are based on estimated load

drops from the inclusion of a pool pump controller, thermostat, and plug in device.

Overall the technology is successful in providing capable DR functionality to the customer in a user

friendly manner. The addition of a mobile application allows the user to monitor, control, and respond

to DR events remotely and conveniently, which should help influence the expandability of this

technology into a larger market implementation.

DR days/yearAnnual kwh

saved

Annual savings

($0.16 per kWh)

Annual savings with PTR

incentive ($0.75/kWh

reduction)

Annual savings with

PTR incentives using

enabling technology

($1.25/kWh reduction)

2 28.70 $4.59 $26.12 $40.47

3 43.05 $6.89 $39.18 $60.70

4 57.40 $9.18 $52.23 $80.93

8 114.80 $18.37 $104.47 $161.87

10 143.50 $22.96 $130.59 $202.34

12 172.20 $27.55 $156.70 $242.80


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Table of Contents

Acknowledgements ................................................................................................................................. 2

Disclaimer ............................................................................................................................................... 2

Executive Summary ................................................................................................................................. 3

List of Figures .......................................................................................................................................... 7

List of Tables ........................................................................................................................................... 8

Introduction ............................................................................................................................................ 9

Project Objectives ................................................................................................................................. 11

Applicable codes and standards ............................................................................................................. 13

Market Overview ................................................................................................................................... 14

Opportunity ....................................................................................................................................... 14

Products and Systems ........................................................................................................................ 16

Project Results....................................................................................................................................... 17

Detailed Host System Description ...................................................................................................... 17

System deployment and operations-related roles and responsibilities ........................................... 19

List of controlled points ................................................................................................................. 19

Sequence of operations ................................................................................................................. 19

System cost and cost-influencing factors ........................................................................................... 20

Preliminary Lab Test Results .............................................................................................................. 20

Evaluation of system operation and design in customer homes ......................................................... 22

Customer feedback from in-home testing .......................................................................................... 24

Energy and demand savings ............................................................................................................... 29

Installation Experience ...................................................................................................................... 31

Applicability of IOU programs and tariffs ........................................................................................... 33

Conclusions ........................................................................................................................................... 34

Benefits of HAN with Mobile Apps ..................................................................................................... 34

System Improvement Opportunities .................................................................................................. 36

Applicability of case study findings to other load types, sectors, and sites ......................................... 37

Considerations for large-scale and persistent market implementation ............................................... 37

Impact of HAN devices to SDG&E (and other CA Utility) roadmap 2011-2020 .................................... 39


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Glossary and Acronyms ......................................................................................................................... 41

References ............................................................................................................................................ 44

Appendix A: Measurement & Verification Plan ...................................................................................... 45

Appendix B: User Survey........................................................................................................................ 58


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List of Figures

Figure 1: Electricity rate variance with time of use ................................................................................... 9

Figure 2 Utility and Customer advantages to energy efficiency (EE), demand response (DR), and peak-

load shift (PLS). [8]................................................................................................................................. 10

Figure 3 Vendor system overview and connectivity ............................................................................... 17

Figure 4 Number of users that have already employed energy efficient technologies and plan to in the

upcoming year....................................................................................................................................... 25

Figure 5 User feedback on potential HAN product purchases ................................................................. 26

Figure 6 Product user evaluations statements/question ........................................................................ 27

Figure 7 Customer need for mobile app. ................................................................................................ 27

Figure 8 Load drop during DR events from 2011 HAN pilot program ...................................................... 30

Figure 9 SDG&E Home Area Network Time As of November 2011, excerpt taken from SDG&E Advice

Letter 2307 [7] ...................................................................................................................................... 39


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List of Tables

Table 1 Customer statistics evaluated against 1.24M installed Smart Meters in SDG&E territory ........... 14

Table 2 Customer tiers/usage against large appliances .......................................................................... 15

Table 3 Estimated power drop potential from HAN devices ................................................................... 15

Table 4 Devices from same vendor that may be included in field evaluation of HAN .............................. 18

Table 5 Initial cost of individual products with approximate installation costs per house ....................... 20

Table 6 Various DR enabled devices response to event .......................................................................... 22

Table 7 How customers currently/or plan to shop for smart appliances ................................................. 26

Table 8 Graphical representation of power drop of a specific sector in home during simulated DR event,

involving a thermostat and pool pump (6:29 pm-6:39pm). NOTE: Figure is an example of power drop

using HAN and not necessarily representative of a larger test pool or market study. ............................. 29

Table 9 Potential energy and cost savings with respect to DR days per year, PTR incentives based on

current program specifications .............................................................................................................. 31


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Introduction

Demand is the momentary use of power from the grid and is of great importance to both the power

generator (Utility) and the power consumer (Customer). During peak hours and especially during Critical

Peak Pricing (CPP) events, the ability for a utility to maintain electric reliability to all its customers is at

risk, and customers experience significant cost increases.

Energy and demand cost can vary significantly with time of use as illustrated below.

Figure 1: Electricity rate variance with time of use (TOU)

At first sight, it would seem utilities stand to benefit from peak-time high-$ sales of electricity. However,

in today’s marketplace electricity supply is limited, and as prices increase so does cost. Gradually, it

becomes difficult for utilities to meet the market’s demand altogether during peak times. This is further

compounded by steady demand increases for the foreseeable future – according to the California

Energy Demand 2010-2020 Adopted Forecast, Non-Coincidental Peak demand in California is forecasted

to increase at 1.3% per year from 2010 to 2018. [15]

Therefore, utilities benefit from managing peak demand in several ways:

Increased grid stability

Ability to service more customers with existing generation & distribution facilities

Lower normalized operating cost, i.e. increased profitability

Utility customers benefit from managing peak demand in terms of cost savings

Home appliances and space heating and cooling consume a large portion of a residential customer’s

energy bill. This bill has the potential to be reduced if the devices within the home were to be more

efficiently managed. Customers would be able to manage their own energy consumption better if

provided with more information on where they have the potential to save energy.


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The HAN with Mobile Apps that is being reviewed herein is a compilation of ‘smart’ devices integrated

into a Home Area Network (HAN) that allow a user to be able to monitor and control his/her own energy

consumption and be able to cut back on consumption during times when energy rates are at their

highest.

The devices being reviewed are not meant to improve efficiency of an existing appliance or HVAC but

allow a user to be able to control its use more effectively. The devices are additions that give the

appliance(s) the ability to be controlled remotely and also provide the user with useful information on

their energy use. At certain times during the year, the utilities will enact a ‘Demand Response (DR)’

period which means it is a time of high energy consumption and to keep up with electrical demand it

encourages users to individually reduce their energy use. During these DR evens, appliances can actively

be turned off or curtailed to save the customer money during times when electricity rates are at their

highest.

As seen in Figure 2, energy efficiency and demand reduction balance out the daily demand for energy.

This makes the Utility more capable in supplying the required amount of electricity to its consumers at a

minimal cost.

Again, these products alone will not provide savings based on energy efficiency of the existing device,

but will allow the user to control their energy consumption more effectively to cut back on active energy

use.

Figure 2 Utility and Customer advantages to energy efficiency (EE), demand response (DR), and peak-load shift (PLS). [8]


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Project Objectives

The objective of this study is to evaluate the DR capability of this HAN with Mobile Apps and to assess

the overall usability and functionality of the devices from user surveys. Please see Host System on page

17 for a more detailed description of the particular system used in this study. A collection of residential

homes that passed predetermined selection criteria were used in the field evaluation.

The purpose of our evaluation is to determine the efficacy of the technology with a focus on DR (does

the product function as intended), and quantify its use within the context of energy, demand, and cost.

We will also review its usability, ease of installation, and its ability to respond effectively to a simulated

DR event. We go beyond one particular vendor, and assess benefits, validity and potential of the

technology as a whole. We also briefly describe the marketplace, as well as applicable codes and

standards.

Our study took place in San Diego Gas & Electric territory; however, the results should be applicable

throughout most of California due to consistent legislation and tariffs throughout the state.

In our Project Results section, emphasis is placed on the following aspects.

Verification of system operation and design

Do the devices correctly respond to a DR event?

Do the devices’ responses to a simulated DR event result in an overall power drop?

Do the devices correctly monitor the energy consumption or status of the items that they are connected to or are controlling?

Are the devices continuously networked and able to communicate effectively?

Does the system effectively alert for DR events and give users options to accept/decline?

Potential energy and demand savings

We observe potential energy and demand savings. By simulating a DR event in the manner that the

Utility would perform the event, the power drop can be compared between the output of the HAN

technology and a precisions meter. We perform savings calculations based on estimated power drop of

various residential appliances from previous research reports.

Customer feedback

We developed a user survey to determine the demographics of the customers who these devices were

tested with and their overall response to the technology. This was done to help understand the barriers

to market implementation and acceptance across different markets. Some of the questions included:

Does the customer like the system?


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Does the customer like each individual product/device?

How frequently does the user actually take advantage of the technology?

Would the customer user this vendor’s product even without the mobile application feature?

What would he improve to make the system more attractive?

Applicability of SDG&E incentive and rebate programs

We review various SDG&E programs with respect to this technology, and provide recommendations for

where we believe program support may apply.

Finally, we conclude our study with a discussion of

Benefits of HAN technology

Improvement opportunities for the tested product

Applicability of this study to other load types, sectors, and sizes

Considerations for large-scale market implementation

Potential future study

HAN with mobile relevance with respect to Smart Grid Roadmap


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Applicable Codes and Standards

Most of the standards and codes that relate to the HAN devices will pertain directly to the home

appliance DR system that they are being used in conjunction with, i.e. electrical standards for home

appliances such as UL listings or ENERGY STAR ratings.

California Title 20 has a regulation requiring pool pumps that are replacements and 1 hp or larger, must

be two speed or variable-speed. The 240V load controller device only is wired to work on two phase

pumps so any newer variable speed pumps may not be compatible with this regulation.

Currently there are proposals for future Title 24 amendments that may encompass these devices. There

is a specific proposal for Programmable Communicating Thermostats (PCT). The proposed measure title

is Residential Demand Responsive Thermostatic Controls. The measure is a proposal for a Title 24 2013

update and would require setback thermostats (as referenced in 2008 Title 26 Section 6 Section 112(c))

to be Upgradeable Setback Thermostats (USTs). This would give the specific thermostats the ability to

add a communication module. [1][2]

There are also different organizations that are well-known alliances related to the HAN market space.

They set up their own standards and certifications for HAN products whereby they can place their logo

on products that have met their criteria. These include HomePlug Powerline Alliance, Z-Wave Alliance,

and ZigBee Alliance.

HomePlug certifies products that use the IEEE 1901 standard which concerns devices that communicate

over in-home power-lines. This type of certification also allows the consumers who buy HomePlug

products to be confident that they will work together. [3]

Z-Wave is a proprietary wireless communications protocol designed for home automation, specifically to

remotely control applications in residential and small commercial environments. The technology uses

low-power RF radio to communicate which avoids the 2.4 GHz frequency that is common with many

other (not HAN) products that may cause interference. These devices that follow this protocol are

compatible with one another. [5]

The ZigBee standard is a wireless technology standard that communicates over the 2.4 GHz frequency.

It is based off of the IEEE 802.15.4 that concerns low- power short-range wireless protocols. Multiple

devices are able to communicate with each other on a ZigBee network. [4]

The technology reviewed uses dual protocols, RF and Powerline, for communications. It is has

established its own alliance that use dual band communications. This is beneficial with shared products

having multiple interfaces to communicate, but SDG&E Smart Meters use ZigBee. So if the vendor

technology wishes to integrate with the Smart Meters in the future it will need to incorporate a ZigBee

communication module.


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Market Overview

Opportunity SDG&E installed approximately 1.4 million Smart Meters from 2007-2011, covering residential and small

business customers, with about 300,000 more to come. This was the initial infrastructure needed to be

able to integrate Home Area Networks with the Utility. All of these customers are theoretically

applicable to the HAN technology because it monitors appliances and allows for control of them to

regulate energy consumption. However, as done in this review, the most applicable customers and

those who would be most advised to take advantage of this technology, are those that consume larger

amounts of peak energy. The large amount of consumption usually arises from sources such as pool

pumps and air conditioning units; these appliances are also the primary focus in regulation with HAN

technology. The increase in amount of all-electric homes, which include electric water heaters, stoves,

and dryers, will help influence the growth of this technology. Also, although this technology is applicable

as a standalone system for monitoring and control, we determine that it will be more desirable to those

wishing to participate in DR events. The dramatic increase in smart phone use also makes the

availability of a mobile app a great advantage to this specific vendor.

Table 1 and Table 2 data are taken from a paper by JBS Energy on behalf of the CPUC, reviewing load

research data and economic, demographic, and appliance saturation characteristics of CA Utility

Residential customers taken from CA RASS data. The data displayed is specifically of SDG&E statistics

and overview usage and tier rates against common high energy consumption appliances. [11]

Table 1 Customer statistics evaluated against 1.24M installed Smart Meters in SDG&E territory

Table 1 shows SDG&E statistics for customers and the rate tiers that they average in. The tables also

show the percent of those customers that have high peak consumption in summer months which was

calculated by comparing summer months against March and April. SDG&E? and JBS Energy concluded

this peak directly towards AC usage in summer months. Because the evaluated HAN technology has one

main focus of reducing energy during peak hours, we will deem these ‘peaked’ customers as a primary

market for this technology along with those that have received a Smart Meter in the SDG&E territory.

This results in about 126,000 customers or 10% or those with Smart Meters as a potential market. [11]

Small Customers

Approximate kWh <425 425-600 600-900 900-1500 >1500

% of customers 53.80% 19.50% 15.50% 8.90% 2.20%

Aprox Smart Meter customers 666,582 241,605 192,045 110,271 27,258 1,239,000

% peaked 7.60% 7.00% 15.60% 15.30% 43.50%

Potential optimal customers 50,660 16,912 29,959 16,871 11,857 126,260

Percent 10.19%

Large Customers


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Table 2 Customer tiers/usage against large appliances

Table 2 may be used to further narrow down the applicable market for HAN technology. This would

show an even more like category than Table 1 that would take the most advantage of this technology.

Also, by showing the population that has a pool and air conditioning mirrors the category of customers

that were filtered for in this field evaluation. This would result in the most applicable customers coming

from those over 900kWh of energy consumption, which was the case in the field evaluation.

It is difficult to produce a realistic estimate of potential energy savings or reduction of power because

the power drops will be dependent on customer behavior and control strategy. If a customer

determines they need appliances more or less on certain demand days, it will influence their option to

opt in or out of an event. Also all customers will vary in their potential power drop capabilities as well.

As shown in this field evaluation, power drops ranged from 0.1 kW to 1.9 kW even though the test field

was already filtered out of customers of high electric bills and owning specific appliances. So obviously

even with a filter the range is very wide and the resultant power drops will be very customer dependent.

A load impact study in 2011 of HAN devices estimates the of power drop potential from each device,

found below. But as stated earlier, each customer can customize their settings so these numbers can

easily vary.

Table 3 Estimated power drop potential from HAN devices


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Products and Systems

The following is a list of vendors in the Home Area Network sector. 1

Aclara[12]

Calico[13]

Control4[15]

Energate[16]

EnergyHub[17]

General Electric[18]

Insteon[19]

Opower[20]

Silver Spring Networks[21]

Space-Time Insight[22]

Universal Devices[23]

1 The list is in alphabetical order, provided as is, not exhaustive, and the selection is arbitrary. The authors of this report do not endorse or guarantee, and disclaim any responsibility for: the content, products or services offered, their performance or suitability, and any consequences or damages, incidental or otherwise, that may result from their consideration or use.


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Project Results

Host System Overview

The HAN provided by this vendor includes various devices that are able to communicate with a home

gateway. This allows for all devices within the house to be monitored and information on energy

consumption can be observed, and in response specific devices may be controlled. The system is able to

receive DR event notices from the utility so that the consumer has the option to respond accordingly to

the event, they may choose to opt-in or –out automatically as well. This will result in an instantaneous

demand reduction and thereby possibly adhere to a specific energy rate plan that the user may be

enrolled in.

Following is a brief description of the devices that are included by this vendor and part of the Home

Area Network (not all may be included at every residence due to lack of appliances owned by home

owner). This includes the list of controlled points.

ModemPCT adapter

Programmable Communicating

Thermostat (PCT)

Outlet Energy Monitor

Plug Load Controller

Vendor Server

Web Portal

iPhone./Droid App

Wireless RouterGateway

Home Monitoring

System

CT Clamps

(Home Electrical Panel)

Ethernet

Ethernet

RF/Powerline

Base Wire

RF

RF/Powerline

RJ45

RF/Powerline

RF/Powerline

Internet

Internet

Internet

Load Controller

Figure 3 Vendor system overview and connectivity


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Device Purpose Data

Mobile App (2 versions)

Used to monitor all devices and control devices that are plugged into the PLC

Functionality: Confirm that during DR event, the mobile phone is alerted.

Gateway Home base that collects and sends information between devices and puts it on the portal

Functionality: Check that device information on portal is accurate.

Modem Provides the link between the EMS and the controllable devices; reads RF, powerline, and zigbee

Functionality: Cannot directly check but will be confirmed from other devices.

Programmable Communicating Thermostat(PCT) adapter

Allows RF communication between the thermostat and modem

Functionality: Cannot directly check but will be confirmed from the thermostat.

Hardwired Load Control

Used to control/monitor pool pump

Functionality: Confirm that during DR event, the Controller responds correctly. Accuracy: Measure power/power drop during DR event.

Plug Load Controller (PLC)

Used to control devices that are plugged in

Functionality: Confirm that during DR event, the appliance responds correctly. Accuracy: Measure power/power drop during DR event.

Outlet Energy Monitor

Used to monitor energy usage of plugged devices

Accuracy: Confirm the power measurements from each of the plugged devices.

Lamp Dimmer (not shown in figure)

Used to control lamps including the power

Functionality: Confirm that the lamps respond correctly to controls. Accuracy: Confirm the power difference when controls are used.

PCT Programmable thermostat used to control temperature

Functionality: Confirm that during DR event, the thermostat responds correctly. This will also check the Thermostat Adapter

Web Portal Used to program schedules and settings into the thermostat and other devices linked together

Functionality: Confirm that the program acts accordingly by observing the system as a whole.

Home Monitoring System

Used to monitor power consumption then is sent to the portal via gateway

Accuracy: Confirm the power measurements from the home consumption.

Table 4 Devices from same vendor that may be included in field evaluation of HAN


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System deployment and operations-related roles and responsibilities

Once the HAN system has been purchased, the end-user is responsible for installation and configuration.

However, due to the complexity of this system and possible issues during installation and professional

installer will likely be used. The system used in the field evaluation required direct access into the

electrical panel to install CT clamps and also wiring of a 240V line to install the load controller. These

tasks are best left to professional electricians.

After installation, the user can configure and program the system themselves. Although, it was noted

that this system was difficult to configure for the average homeowner.

List of controlled points

As stated previously, this review is largely purposed for user feedback/evaluation. Thus the field

evaluation will have various ‘controlled points’ based on user set-up and response to DR events. The

HAN is able to communicate with various devices as shown in Table 4.

Sequence of operations

See Figure 3 for device connection diagram.

Again, due to the customer’s ownership of specific home appliance, different combination of home

devices will be used for the field evaluation. Main appliances/devices owned by customers include AC

units, pool pumps, outdoor lights, indoor lights, TVs, radios, and computers. Combinations of

controllable appliances are based on preferences; some customers may want to control indoor lighting

and AC, while others may just want to control their pool pump. Their settings will be created in the web

portal and viewable in the mobile app as well.

This specific vendor’s products communicate via either/both existing in-home power-lines or/and low-

power RF. Various devices, known as ‘phase bridges’, allow for the cross-over between RF

communication and power-line, such as the lamp-specific controller and product modem.

Once the devices are configured according to each individual installation/connection procedures, they

can be controlled and monitored with the vendor’s online portal. The user has the ability to configure

each device and its response to a DR event. These may vary by user and device and the settings will all

be documented and related to the energy drop caused by a simulated DR event, which is part of the

M&V.


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System cost and cost-influencing factors

Table 5 Initial cost of individual products with approximate installation costs per house

There are a few factors that will affect the initial cost of the technology. The size of the system and its

complexity will alter the cost of the system. If it is large with a lot of devices to be installed this will

increase the time of installation. Also, if there are a lot of issues with range, connectivity, or installation

locations, then the installation time will also increase. The amount of devices desired to be used with

the Home Area Network will increase the cost as well since the system is priced per device.

At this time there are no plans for incremental costs. After the initial purchase and installation, the user

should not incur and additional fees outside of desired upgrades or additions.

Preliminary Lab Test Results Preliminary installation and performance tests were performed in a laboratory environment prior to

actual in-home field evaluations. The lab test was performed at UCSD and was independent of the field

evaluation. Below are the summarized results of the testing,

Ease of Installation

Difficult to install

o communication between devices and home base was continuously lost

o took approx. 14 hours for one installation with a lot of trial and error

o range was an issue: need extenders if working with large homes

o needed special tools to check for interference

Item Quantity Price

Orchestrator 1 $189.00

Home Energy Monitor (7 Channels) 1 $225.00

Dual band Modem 1 $40.00

Load Controller 1 $60.00

Thermostat 1 $80.00

Keypad controller 1 $35.00

Dedicated Lamp Dimmer 1 $22.00

Plugin relay 1 $17.50

Plugin energy monitor 1 $20.00

Portal and Hosting 1 $150.00

Iphone App 1 $0.00

Installation (@$120/hr) 8 hours $960.00

Total per Installation $1,798.50


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Ease of Use

Medium Difficulty

Consumer interface is easy to read and navigate, but has “bugs”

Installer interface is cluttered with multiple tabs and missing explanations on some functions

o Programming devices is difficult—not something that someone who has no prior

knowledge of programming is able to do easily

Connectivity

Connection between device and gateway is often lost

Difficult to establish connection to the gateway from the devices

When using power line, the power lines must be bridged otherwise cannot connect devices

o Installer needs good knowledge of power line phases

Accessibility (ex: home network, web server, etc)

The whole portal is accessible through home network as well as on the web

Accessible through website

Advantages (compared to other vendors)

Can view energy usage through iPhone/Android app

Multiple apps available for this product

can control devices remotely

o on/fast on/ off/ fast off

Programmable

o can write program that allows certain appliances to turn off or on depending on time

Makes all information available on installer screen

Disadvantages

Connectivity

o difficult to devices

· information such as device type, device ID

· information must be re-typed if attempt to connect fails

range can become an issue

o need a dimmer switch to make a bridge

Programming is difficult

programming language can be overwhelming for those with no programming experience

Supplied 240V Load controller was not rated for outdoor use


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Evaluation of system operation and design in customer homes

Overall, there are two main quantitative points that must be measured to accomplish the tasks that

have been previously mentioned. Primarily, use of the DR functionality of the HAN must result in a

measureable drop in energy consumption during a simulated event and function properly during/after

the event. Secondly, the gateway and mobile app must accurately measure/display the energy

consumption of the home and/or devices.

Do the devices correctly respond to a DR event? YES

All devices responded appropriately to the DR events. Based on the configuration, customers were

alerted via email, text message, iPhone/android phone application, or the media center app. The table

below shows the various DR devices used in the test and their response to the DR event notification.

Also, as shown in the Project Plan, not every customer had every device.

Table 6 Various DR enabled devices response to event

As shown in the table the devices all appropriately responded to a simulated DR event. However, they

posed issues after the event had ended. All of the devices would not revert to their original settings and

continued as if still in an event. Also, this same issue occurred if a customer wished to opt-out of an

event, in which they would not be able to return their devices to their normal programming.

Do the devices’ responses to a simulated DR event result in an overall power drop? Yes

All of the homes surveyed showed an overall power drop during the simulated DR event. The power

drops varied depending on the DR enabled devices that were installed on the specific homes and how

they were programmed to respond.

Do the devices correctly monitor the energy consumption or status of the items that they are

connected to or are controlling? Not always

During energy measurements, it was shown that the reported values of the energy consumption of

appliances were variably inaccurate. The total energy consumption value reported by the HAN in one

instance was inaccurate at approximately 50% of the actual measured value. This issue was discovered

to be part of an installation issue where an installed CT clamp was not completely closed.

DR Enables Device Response to Event Correct? After Event Correct? Opt-out Correct?

Programmable

Thermostat

Decreased or increased

programmed amount of

degrees (>2 degrees) Yes

Returned to previous

settings Yes

Did not revert to

original settings No

Lamp Dimmer Lamp Dimmed Yes


settings Yes

Did not revert to


Outlet Control Turn off outlet Yes


settings Yes

Did not revert to


Pool Pump Control

Pump turned off or operated

on a 2 minute duty cycle Yes


settings Yes

Did not revert to



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The inaccuracy of these values doesn’t influence the functionality of the devices. However, for users

intending to track their energy consumption using these values, they will be working with inaccurate

data. This may result incorrectly planning energy budgets, paybacks for their system, or adding to the

HAN.

NOTE:

The reviewed setup monitors energy via CT clamps at the home’s electrical panel. Another, more recent,

product by the vendor adds an additional device allowing the network to be able to communicate

directly to a home’s Smart Meter. This would help to avoid connectivity issues and simplify installation.

However, the company’s availability to offer the method used in the evaluation is positive to early

adopters who may not have a smart meter installed.

Does the system effectively alert for DR events and give users options to accept/decline? Yes

All the homes in the field evaluation were alerted to the DR event and given the option to opt-in/out

over the portal. Email was the most consistent method and all users verified that they received this

form of alert. Whenever so configured, customers also reported that they were alerted via a mobile

text message and on the HAN central console unit.

The phone app current version at the time of the evaluation (iPhone/android) didn’t alert the customer

that a DR event was in progress and didn’t have an option to opt-in/out. Customers still would be able

to participate in events if they had their system to automatically opt-in but may cause frustration if they

are not easily able to opt out. The opposite is also true where if customers atomically opt-out but are

not notified or easily able to participate in events.

The mobile app vendor recognizes these drawbacks and states this is work in progress at the moment.

The vendor stated that the newest version will contain DR support allowing the user to view DR

messages and prices, and Opt-in/out messages.

Are the devices able to communicate effectively as designed? Yes

However, there were various intermittent connectivity issues that arose on multiple devices.

The HAN had trouble communicating (delayed readings) with the meter due to the customer having a metal garage door.

A thermostat repeatedly lost connection which was sourced to having interference with a baby monitor. During troubleshooting for this issue, the system had to be reset and the rest of the system’s settings were lost.

When the program opens on the mobile app, the device displays ‘not found’ every time, then works

The mobile app took about 15 seconds for a command to go through

The vendor has made comments that a new software updates to the mobile app reduces the frequency

of connectivity error; however, this version has not been tested.


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Customer feedback from in-home testing

After installation and the home evaluation of the HAN devices the users were asked to complete a

demographical survey and respond to the specific technology that was installed in their home. This will

allow us to identify the potential market for expansion and how easily it could be integrated into a

home. The reader should note that this survey was not made to supply representative data of a mass

market implementation and is not normalized for this purpose. Thus, the survey results are meant to be

purely informational.

Customer Details

As detailed in the M&V Plan [page 45], a selection criterion was established to choose what users would

be focused on for the field evaluations. This included mostly home feature that would be common for a

user of this type of technology, such as higher energy bills, and appliances such as AC and pool pumps.

The survey gathered personal data that may be used as input to the design of a market study to

determine how wide of a population would be interested in this product, as well. The survey

determined that there was no specification to age within the study with home owners ranging from 25

to 65+. Also, the amount of people living in the home ranged from 2-5. The most important trait that all

homeowners in the survey had that at least one person in the household was employed in a technical

field. This included: telecommunications or internet services, building or controls management systems,

home automation, or other electronics, electrical, hardware or software engineering.

Properties of the home were included in the survey and most metrics showed that these didn’t

influence to overall benefits of the technology. Although energy bills were required to be higher, this

included a wide range of square footage that a house may have, ranging from 1610 to 3900 sq. ft. The

age of the homes ranged from new to 40 years as well.

Customer Energy Habits

Part of the survey given was to survey the energy consciousness of the users. These questions were

used to determine how much knowledge the users had on their energy consumption and if they were

proactive on finding possible way to reduce their usage base for environmental or financial reasons.

Overall, all the customers in the survey were energy conscious. Within the past 2 years they had all at

least employed CFL or other energy efficient light bulbs; this was also a measure that they all desired to

expand within the next year. The following figure, Figure 4, shows energy efficient methods that the

users currently take advantage of or plan to in the next 12 months.


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Figure 4 Number of users that have already employed energy efficient technologies and plan to in the upcoming year

The users in the evaluation also had some knowledge of how the utility works. The users at least “knew

something about it” when asked on their level of knowledge to smart meters, time of use (TOU) pricing,

and demand response. Also, 4 out of the 5 users responded that someone in their household stays on

top or new developments in energy efficiency, smart applications, home automation, and renewable

energy. Lastly, customers were surveyed on how they do or will shop on future smart appliance; the

results are shown in Table 7.


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Table 7 How customers currently/or plan to shop for smart appliances

Figure 5 User feedback on potential HAN product purchases

1 (most) Rebates or cost incentirve

2 Total Cost

3 Ability to save money on energy costs

4 Brand

5Ability to monitor/control via internet or

smartphone

6 (least) Ability to get maintainance/repair alerts

Ranking in importants of product features when

purchasing a smart appliance


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Product Feedback

Concerning feedback on the actual product, the users were asked a series of question and they were

asked to determine their personal agreement. The questions are seen below in Figure 6

Figure 6 Product user evaluations statements/question

Figure 7 Customer need for mobile app.


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As can be seen in the figures, there was positive overall feedback with the HAN devices. Users

responded that they used the product(s) frequently and thought they were generally easy to use. This

also may be slightly skewed because the majority of users also responded that they considered

themselves tech savvy, which a lot of the general population may not.

There were two areas of concern though. The customers were about neutral (half for and half against)

about the online customer portal. One user was not happy with his experience as well. Also, the users

overall responded that they would not purchase this product if it were not for the mobile app capability.

This is in agreement with the users responding that they use the mobile app frequently. This can clearly

show that mobile access for control and monitoring that this technology focuses on is a priority for users

in HAN technology adoption.

The full survey results can be seen in the appendix.


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Energy and demand savings

Energy and demand savings will inherently occur if the customer “opts-in” to a load reduction during a

demand event. Although, the numerical amount of load that is reduced directly depends on the

customer and variables such as DR enabled devices, consumption of each device, how the customer

wishes to reduce load of each device during an event, and what tariff the customer is on. Due to these

variables, it can only be said that if a customer participates in a DR event and reduces load, their overall

energy consumption will be reduced and reflected by their control strategy on these devices.

Table 8 Graphical representation of power drop of a specific sector in home during simulated DR event, involving a thermostat and pool pump (6:29 pm-6:39pm). NOTE: Figure is an example of power drop using HAN and not necessarily representative of a larger test pool or market study.

The overall power drops ranged from as little as 0.1kW to as high as 1.9kW. The low end involved a

customer who only employed one thermostat and a few dimmable lights; however, the home only had

heat and no AC, so there wasn’t anything in use with this thermostat and the test basically just dimmed

a few lights. The high end power drop involved a customer who was using two thermostats both with

AC, two appliance controllers, and a pool controller. The DR event resulted in dropping both AC

temperatures by 5 degrees each and turned off the appliances and the pool pump completely.

The field evaluation taken in the study of this technology did show an overall power drop during a

simulated Demand Event. As stated earlier, the drops were uncorrelated to each other due to the large

variance in device and control strategies. Savings are also variable year to year as well which makes


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them difficult to predict. The Utility enacts Demand Events during time of extremely high consumption,

which is usually correlated to weather patterns. Since these are nearly impossible to predict well

enough to create a savings chart, savings can only be predicted based on estimated DR days and

potential load drops for devices.

Overall, it is important to note that savings and payback times for similar projects will vary with the

following:

Initial cost of device and installation

Utility rates and incentives

Control strategy

Individual appliance energy consumption

Frequency of Utility enacted Demand Events

Actual energy savings were not recorded due to the Demand Response events being demonstrational

and lasting less than 10 minutes. The objective within the study was to monitor a power drop to

measure potential of enabled devices that are controlled during a Demand Event. However, results

from 2011 SDG&E pilot programs estimate power drops from DR events as shown in Figure 8.

Figure 8 Load drop during DR events from 2011 HAN pilot program

By using this table, average load drop per installation can be calculated. If it is assumed that each

residential customer uses a thermostat, load control pool pump switch and a plug load controller switch

for small appliances they will drop 0.49 kW, 1.5kW, and 0.06 kW, respectively. This adds up to 2.05 kW

potential power drop for each HAN installation.

This data can also be used to show estimated energy savings per year for the residential customer.

SDG&E uses standard DR events to last from 11am to 6pm, which is a 7 hour time span. By using an

average power drop of 2.05kW drop for a DR event, this can be extended into potential energy and cost

savings per year depending on the number of DR events per year, as shown in

Customer Type HAN Device Type Units kW/Unit Total kW Total MW

Small Customer Thermostats (PCT) 500 0.8 400 0.4

Residential Thermostats (PCT) 350 0.49 171.5 0.1715

Residential

Load Control Switch for

pool pumps 40 1.5 60 0.06

Residential

Plug Load Control switch for

small appliances 300 0.06 18 0.018

Total 649.5 0.649

Based on 2011 HAN Pilots


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Table 9 Potential energy and cost savings with respect to DR days per year, PTR incentives based on current program specifications

For reference purposes, SDG&E labeled the following amount of days ‘DR days’ in the associated years:

2 in 2008, 9 in 2009, 14 in 2010, and 6 in 2011.

Installation Experience

Overall Physical Installation

The installation process was difficult. Communications between the devices and the home base was

continuously lost, and one technician took 6 hours to physically install the devices. Range was also an

issue with a consistent need for range extenders if working with mid-sized homes

Issues during installation

The installation kitting was sometimes found not to be complete; for instance, an Ethernet cable was not provided.

The pool controller and the electrical meter (w/ CT clamps) were not rated for outdoor use. In one installation, the pool controller was conveniently located in an enclosed room but this is not always predictable, so this can cause installation difficulties or need for addition enclosures. At another install, a weatherproof box had to be purchased to be able to install the electrical meter.

During installation of the wireless thermostats, the RF modem was unable to connect to neither of two thermostats. A dual mode dimmer (used as a phase bridge) needed to be used to make the connection.

One customer owned a new 3-phase pool pump which is a new variable speed pump. The vendor controller is only functional towards 2-phase pumps and there were no 3-phase controllers available.

DR days/yearAnnual kwh

saved

Annual savings

($0.16 per kWh)

Annual savings with PTR

incentive ($0.75/kWh

drop)

Annual savings with

PTR incentives using

enabling technology

($1.25/kwh drop)

2 28.70 $4.59 $26.12 $40.47

3 43.05 $6.89 $39.18 $60.70

4 57.40 $9.18 $52.23 $80.93

8 114.80 $18.37 $104.47 $161.87

10 143.50 $22.96 $130.59 $202.34

12 172.20 $27.55 $156.70 $242.80


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One home owner, post-primary installation, moved the modem out of a wall socket and placed it into a surge protector. This created problems in connecting to the switches and needed to be directly plugged into the wall.

One of the home energy monitors required drilling through a cabinet and then into the electrical meter from behind. This caused a connection issue and two repeaters needed to be installed.

Future issues dealing with the energy monitor/meter and its installation into the electrical panel

shouldn’t be greatly focused on because this is currently a method by the vendor allowing users to

monitor home energy without relaying the information from Smart meters (which are not broadcasting

yet). When they begin broadcasting, the vendor has a device able to wireless communicate with the

meter, so these installation issues will not occur.

Overall Programming

The user has poor usability and lack of context help. Programming the devices was difficult and would

not be easily completed by the average home owner. Although, it was noted that the system in general

would be very useful for someone with a programming background due to the amount of customization

available.

Issues during device setup

The HAN control unit (out-of-box) needed to have a firmware upgrade to work with the portal.

The devices’ ‘search mode’, which would allow for easy connecting, was not reliable.

The HAN control unit did not work well with older computers; one instance showed the login screen reappearing. Vendor confirmed problem and noted that this is a potential problem with computers over 5 years old.

Once installation are streamlined, if a mass market implementation is considered, the setup of a basic

configuration may be cheaper because common installation problems, like above, will be fixed.


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Applicability of IOU programs and tariffs

San Diego Gas & Electric provides various customer rates that fit a wide variety of groups. Currently

there are no customary plans that provide benefits to residential customers that are willing to alter

energy usage according to peak times or demand events.[6]

Schedule PTR

This program is currently active at the time of this report. This program is called “Schedule PTR (Peak

Time Rebate)”. The Schedule is applicable to customers receiving electric bundled residential service

through a residential rate schedule that requires separate metering. CARE customers and Net Energy

Metering customers are also eligible. The program provides bill credits based on kWh reductions (from a

baseline) during peak time hours, known as Peak Time Rebate (PTR) event. Customers that participate

this solely by reducing their energy consumption during PTR hours will receive a $0.75/ kWh bill credit

for their efforts. However if the customer has enabling technology, such as HAN devices, they will

receive a higher rate of $1.25/kWh.

On this schedule the Utility will notify customers of PTR events by mass media, e-mail, and will post

notification on the Utility’s website. The technology that is considered ‘Enabling’ is defined to be

technology which can be initiated via a signal from the Utility that will reduce electric energy end-use for

specific electric equipment or appliances, is included in a designated Utility demand response program,

and has been registered with the Utility by the customer. [6]

Other Residential Programs

The Utility also offers various other programs/schedules that rate customers can be on. The schedules

include DR (Domestic Residential), DR-TOU (Domestic Time of Use), DR-SES ( Domestic with Solar Energy

Systems), E-CARE (Alternative Rate Programs) and other programs of various specific purposes such as

multifamily or Electric Vehicle Services. None of these programs benefit via incentive or rebate for

reducing load specifically during a Demand Event. Although, regardless of program, shedding load at a

needed time is beneficial to the Utility and also to the customer by reducing their personal

consumption. DR-TOU may result in the most benefit for a DR enabled technology because demand

event occur during the hours of 12-6pm, during which TOU customers are “on-peak”. Also, there are no

active programs that give benefit to customers who are using Demand Response enabled devices. [6]

Potential Future Programs

SDG&E’s destination with these pilot programs is to eventually transmission to a more real-time/time of

day pricing schedule. As will be discusses later (Pg 39 “HAN impact to SDG&E roadmap”) SDG&E is

slated to come out with more pilots in the next few years to introduce enabled technology and demand

reduction to the public.[7]


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Conclusions

Benefits of HAN with Mobile Apps

The HAN device with Mobile Applications showed a variety of potential benefits to the customers

depending on how they chose to use the technology and to what extent. As stated earlier, the

maximum applicability and usefulness of the technology depended on a customer’s energy

consumption, demand-enabled devices, control strategies implemented, and desire to use the benefits

of the technology. The benefits of Home Area Network with Mobile Apps knowledge and technology

span a variety of areas: customer use of new technology, appliance control, Utility communication,

reduced energy bills, and comparisons with other HAN technologies.

Customer Use of New Technology

Customer feedback reports showed that Mobile Apps integration with Home Area Network technology

would be crucial to the adoption of this technology specific to this vendor. Although only 5 users were

exposed and evaluated with this technology, over half responded that they would not purchase this

technology if it didn’t include a mobile application. So they fact that this was included in the package

was a large benefit. Since information was accessible through an online portal users were able to

monitor their energy consumption (although current inaccurate) via the mobile app. The mobile app

also allows users to control their appliances remotely and respond to DR events. This will help make it

more convenient for users to learn and participate in Demand programs and events.

Appliance Control

Home Area Network technology allows for the next phase of appliance control. By making all appliances

linked via a central hub and given the ability to communicate, customers can take advantage of this new

knowledge to orchestrate energy use and adapt to more energy conscious behaviors. With the online

portal or online app users will be able to control lamps, fans, thermostats, or pool pumps at a single

location to help curb energy consumption during a utility DR event or any other purpose. This capability

will empower users to fully control their home energy and eliminate waste. The user survey showed

that the user interface was easy to use as well which is a benefit for this vendor.

Utility Communication

Benefits to Utility and communication with the Utility are a part of the SDG&E road map that HAN is

evolving on and by having the capability to communicate in any way is a benefit. Currently the

evaluated HAN technology is only able to communicate with the utility via an online portal. From this

gateway, the utility can announce DR events and also monitor a response from the customer with

regards to a power drop. Currently, there is a rate schedule entitled Peak Time Rebate (PTR) which

allows a customer to receive incentives by the amount of power shed during a DR event. This will allow

the customer to maximize efficiency with their energy budgets and consumption. Also, the PTR


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schedule also offers an even larger incentive to those that use DR enabled devices such as HAN

technology.

In the field evaluation, the technology allowed communication with the Utility solely by the online

portal. However, the vendor does provide an alternate solution of an additional device that is capable

of communicating with the smart meter. This will allow the HAN to directly receive price and DR

messages. This was not evaluated because the Utility Smart Meters currently do not broadcast

anything. Although, it will be more advantageous for the Utility to communicate with the HAN via the

smart meter, by having the ability to communicate with an online portal and with DR enabled devices

the vendor provides an excellent alternative that allows for communication.

Reduce Energy Bills

Given the option and taking advantage of Demand Response load reduction, customer energy bills will

be reduced by simply consuming less, regardless of the time of day or purpose. Also, if rate schedule

schedules include incentives for shedding load during Demand events a customer can receive a

monetary incentive, they may be able to earn even more if they are using enabled appliances.

Mobile Apps also gives customers the ability to remotely monitor their energy use outside of their

home. If they leave certain appliances on or leave set-points on thermostats too high, they have the

ability to turn them off and conserve energy.

Comparison with Other HAN devices/systems

The vendor HAN technology evaluated here poses some advantages over other technologies. One

advantage is that most of the devices on this system were designed with multiple two types of

communications methods, RF and Powerline. This allows for some redundancies in the system in case

there are issues with communication distances or breaks in the system (such as separate electric

grids/meters).

The Online portal that is accessible by the Utility is also a great advantage. Although the Utility does not

guarantee reliable communication via the internet for DR events, it still allows customers to be

messaged and participate in events and possible receive incentives for their participation.

The mobile apps, although with customer recommended improvements, is still a great benefit. By

allowing customers to monitor their energy consumption in real-time with their phone (as opposed to a

stand along portal device) information is much more accessible and greatly encourages use and

‘customer empowerment’.


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System Improvement Opportunities

There were various areas that customers/installers commented about that should be focused on for

areas of system improvement: installation design/obstacles, communication issues, DR functionality,

and customer expectations on usability.

Installation

The installation process, while not a primary focus on the HAN evaluation, still allowed for some

recommended improvements to the design. Like stated earlier, since there were only 5 customers

evaluated, there is high probability that the issues discovered would be more common in a larger test

field. General installation improvements included,

Design installation kitting more complete for various types of housing, or create optional

accessories/ add-ins that may be applicable to more specific house setups

o Installation difficulty included no having outdoor rated housings/devices

o Also, user discovered error with plugging modem through surge protector

State, prior to installation and/or purchase, common appliance that may interfere with

communications frequencies and possible fixes i.e. baby monitor

State list of compatible devices (or specifications) for in-line meters; user had issue with in-line

pool controller not being compatible with 2phase pump (controller required 3-phase)

Include electrical meter cross-checking during CT clamp installation; due to an incorrect

installation of CT clamp, the measured energy consumption was found to be 50% off at one

residents home.

NOTE: this issue will be avoided with inclusion of Smart Meter commutating device (currently available)

Communication

There were a few communication issues with different devices during the configuration of the vendor

devices. The sources of the errors were able to be discovered but some alteration to the design or

recommendation to setup may help avoid initial issues. These may be resolved with programming

design change or simple revised setup instructions.

Communication through a metal garage door delayed readings

Message of ‘not found’ displays every time when user opened program

As also stated in installation section, baby monitor interfered with devices

Demand Response Functionality

Demand Response is a key feature of this product to the Utility because it paves the way for more

established price driven rate schedules. This product showed some issues with DR regarding appliance

functionality; these issues appear to be software programming and can be easily improved.


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Customers request to ‘opt-out’ of DR functionality did not return system to normal settings

Customers were not able to opt-out via mobile app

NOTE: Vendor comments that these issues are resolved in current version of software.

Customer Expectations

User experience on this field evaluation is a priority of concern with the Utility. This helps to determine

large scale acceptance of HAN technology in a mass market deployment. These specific devices, once

fully commissioned, function well yet users still commented on certain expectation. These may or may

not have been negatives to the original design, simply general desires.

Customers expected mobile apps to display DR notifications

Mobile apps doesn’t provide a method for opting out of DR event

NOTE: Vendor comments that these issues are resolved in current version of software

General

The reviewed system receives home energy consumption by directly monitoring at the electrical panels.

This is a complicated installation procedure and as found, it incorrectly installed can give very inaccurate

results. It is highly recommended for the inclusion of the currently available device that can

communicate with the smart meters. This will avoid electrical work in the panels and allow for reliable

information from the Utility. This is only categorized as a system improvement solely because it was not

evaluated in this evaluation.

Applicability of case study findings to other load types, sectors, and sites

The technology included in the field evaluation is to be specifically used in residential homes at this

moment. Commercial and industrial already has much more complex methods of managing energy,

such as Building Management Systems, BMS. These usually have individuals dedicated to maintaining

building energy status as well.

This may be applicable to small office buildings where utilities may be of similar need as to large

residential customers. The incentives and rate schedules would not be classified under residential so

further research into the monetary value and applicability would be needed.

Considerations for large-scale and persistent market implementation

Currently, in regards to monitoring and controlling devices, this technology is ready for large scale

implementation into a large number of residential homes. The user feedback was overall positive to the

technology with an affinity towards the mobile applications. Also, if measuring actual energy usage is an

objective this technology needs fixes since the actual number output were very inaccurate.


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Some simplification into the initial configuration of the system may be desired. Of the users evaluated,

all had some technical background but still found issues difficult. However, one setup the users were

able to use the system easily and found it user friendly.

In the field evaluation DR implementation is possible through a signal given through the vendor’s

internet portal. If customer wide DR signals need to be given, then the Utility will need to communicate

over the web in addition to signals given via the Smart Meters. At current state, the web portal is

beneficial since no signals are actively being given over the Smart Meters so these customers still have a

method to communicate. However when Smart Meters become the main path of communication of DR

signals, communication of DR signals over internet may not be guaranteed by the Utility (currently

stated in the PTR program). At that point the vendor device capable of communicating with Smart

Meters is highly recommended.

[Intentionally blank]


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Impact of HAN devices to SDG&E (and other CA Utility) roadmap 2011-2020

The Home Area Network devices are currently in the field test stage within the CA Utility territories.

These devices represent the forward progress of the Utility to establish a smart grid and educate its

consumers on energy consciousness. [109]

Figure 9 SDG&E Home Area Network Time As of November 2011, excerpt taken from SDG&E Advice Letter 2307 [7]


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Figure 9 shows the general timeline that SDG&E has established for Home Area Network development

within its territory. The highlighted region represents ongoing projects within the HAN outline that may

pertain to the technology reviewed in this evaluation. As stated earlier the only current residential

schedule rate that takes advantage of HAN technology is the PTR. Along this same path, Optional TOD

(Time of Day) or Optional PSH (Peak Shift at Home) will follow, which are both schedules which will be

created to help level out a customer’s energy use throughout an entire day and eliminate peaks.

The second highlighted row within the timeline shows Zigbee standards’ development process. Zigbee is

a standard communications protocol used by Smart Meters to communicate with in-home utilities. This

type of communications makes Automated Demand Response directly from the Smart Meter possible.

However, the technology reviewed does not include a method for Zigbee communications. For the

simulated DR event a signal was put in via the vendor’s online portal. Although the lack of technology

may appear as a setback, with current issues slowing the establishment of Zigbee technology, by having

a functioning online portal a Utility still has a pathway to communicate to enabled devices. It is

important to note that currently the Utility specifically states in the PTR rate schedule that they DO NOT

guarantee consistent communication to customers of DR events via mass media, internet site, or email.

The third highlighted row in Figure 9 shows various pilot programs for HAN devices. These include low-

income In-home display (LI-IHD), low-income programmable controlling thermostats (LI-PCT), Solar

Energy Systems (SES), Residential Automated Controls Technology (RACT) Pilot, price-driven Load

Management (PDLM). All of these programs/pilots are meant to educate Utility customers first hand

into the future of energy management. By giving users more opportunities to gather information on

their energy consumption (IHD and PCT) they will be more conscious to their daily needs. This

technology review falls in the RACT pilot, where chosen customers are evaluated on their experience

with PCT, web portal communications, and smart appliances.

The last highlighted row shows future/pending HAN offerings and programs to continue the expansion

of HAN technology adoption. In D.11-07-056 Ordering Paragraph 11 the CPUC ordered PG&E, SCE, and

SDG&E to develop a HAN implementation plan that should include an established roll-out

implementation strategy, including a timetable for making HAN functionality and benefits generally

accessible to customers in a manner similar across all three companies. This OP also required HAN

activation to discuss key issues, such as costs, expanded data access and data granularity, current and

evolving national standards and security risk mitigation [9]. This field evaluation covers many of these

issues which follows the roadmap timeline. Also, Small Customer Technology Deployment (SCTD) will

further this by distributing more HAN technology to customers for more in depth evaluations.[10]

The overall goal of HAN in the SDG&E roadmap is for “customer empowerment”. SDG&E labels this as a

term for educating customers on new energy saving technology and to educate themselves on the

future of the Utility. Currently SDG&E is looking at 2013 to begin roll out of dynamic rate plans to

residential customers. By using HAN technology, customers will be able to use their knowledge to

minimize their energy needs and consumption.


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Glossary and Acronyms

AC Air Conditioning

ADR Automated Demand Response

App Application, commonly for mobile phones

BMS Building Management System

CFL Compact Fluorescent

CPUC California Public Utilities Commission

CT Current Transformer

DR Demand Response and also common residential tariff

DR-PTR Domestic Residential- Peak Time Rebate

DR-TOU Domestic Residential- Time of Use

EE Energy Efficiency

EMS Energy Management System

GHz Gigahertz

HAN Home Area Network

HomePlug HAN Communication Protocol

HP horsepower

HVAC Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning

IEEE Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers

kW Kilowatts

kWh Kilowatt hours

LAN Local Area Network

LCS Hardwired Control System


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Li-IHD Low-income In Home Display

Li-PCT Low-income Programmable Communicating Thermostat

OpenADR Open Source Auto Demand Response

PCT Programmable Communicating Thermostat

PDLM Price Driven Load Management

PG&E Pacific Gas & Electric

PLC Plug Load Controller

PLM Plug Load Monitor

PLS Peak Load Shift

PSH Peak Shift at Home

PTR Peak Time Rebate

RACT Residential Automated Controls Technology

RASS Residential Appliance Saturation Survey

RF Radio Frequency

RF Radio Frequency

SCE Southern California Edison

SCTD Small Customer Technology Deployment

SDG&E San Diego Gas & Electric

SES Solar Energy System

TOD Time of Day

TOU Time-of-Use

UCSD University of California, San Diego

UL Underwriters Laboratory


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UST Upgradeable Setback Thermostats

V Volt

WAN Wide Area Network

WiFi Wireless local area network

ZigBee Low-power high-frequency wireless protocol

Z-wave Low-power RF protocol


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References

[1]http://www.energy.ca.gov/title24/2013standards/prerulemaking/documents/2011-06-

09_workshop/review/2013_CASE_Upgradeable_Setback_Thermostats_2011_06_08.pdf

[2]http://www.energy.ca.gov/2008publications/CEC-400-2008-001/CEC-400-2008-001-CMF.PDF

[3]https://www.homeplug.org/home/

[4]http://www.zigbee.org/

[5]http://www.z-wavealliance.org/modules/AllianceStart/

[6]http://regarchive.sdge.com/tm2/pdf/ELEC_ELEC-SCHEDS_PTR.pdf

[7]http://regarchive.sdge.com/tm2/pdf/2307-E.pdf

[8] DemandResponse2012-2014-Projects_Test_SDGE_20110301Atch01_207224.ppt

(please contact the authors for access to this document)

[9] http://www.part68.org/documents/meetingrec/11-Meetings/ACTA-11-021_ELEC_3956-E%20.pdf

[10] http://www.energy.ca.gov/electricity_analysis/notices/2011-04-

26_drmec_workshop/presentations/SDGE_DR_Enrollment_2010.pdf

[11]http://www.jbsenergy.com/downloads/Know_Your_Customers_Paper.pdf

[12] http://www.aclaratech.com/Pages/default.aspx

[13] http://calicoenergy.com/page.php?page_id=5

[14] www.consert.com/products-and-services/products

[15] http://www.control4.com/

[16] http://www.energateinc.com/

[17] http://www.energyhub.com/

[18] http://www.geappliances.com/home-energy-manager/

[19] http://www.insteonsmartgrid.com/about-us.html

[20] http://opower.com/

[21] http://www.silverspringnet.com/

[22] http://www.spacetimeinsight.com/

[23] http://www.universal-devices.com/

http://www.energy.ca.gov/title24/2013standards/prerulemaking/documents/2011-06-09_workshop/review/2013_CASE_Upgradeable_Setback_Thermostats_2011_06_08.pdf

http://www.energy.ca.gov/title24/2013standards/prerulemaking/documents/2011-06-09_workshop/review/2013_CASE_Upgradeable_Setback_Thermostats_2011_06_08.pdf

http://www.energy.ca.gov/2008publications/CEC-400-2008-001/CEC-400-2008-001-CMF.PDF

https://www.homeplug.org/home/

http://www.zigbee.org/

http://www.z-wavealliance.org/modules/AllianceStart/

http://regarchive.sdge.com/tm2/pdf/ELEC_ELEC-SCHEDS_PTR.pdf

http://regarchive.sdge.com/tm2/pdf/2307-E.pdf

http://www.part68.org/documents/meetingrec/11-Meetings/ACTA-11-021_ELEC_3956-E%20.pdf

http://www.energy.ca.gov/electricity_analysis/notices/2011-04-26_drmec_workshop/presentations/SDGE_DR_Enrollment_2010.pdf

http://www.energy.ca.gov/electricity_analysis/notices/2011-04-26_drmec_workshop/presentations/SDGE_DR_Enrollment_2010.pdf

http://www.jbsenergy.com/downloads/Know_Your_Customers_Paper.pdf

http://www.aclaratech.com/Pages/default.aspx

http://calicoenergy.com/page.php?page_id=5

http://www.consert.com/products-and-services/products

http://www.control4.com/

http://www.energateinc.com/

http://www.energyhub.com/

http://www.geappliances.com/home-energy-manager/

http://www.insteonsmartgrid.com/about-us.html

http://opower.com/

http://www.silverspringnet.com/

http://www.spacetimeinsight.com/

http://www.universal-devices.com/


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Appendix A: Measurement & Verification Plan

Introduction

This measurement plan is an integral part of the project described in “REMA Phase 2 Evaluation

Statement of Work and Estimate” [1] and “REMA Phase II Project Plan” [2].

It follows the guidelines established in [3].

It has been designed to accurately assess both the baseline performance of the incumbent technology

(or standard practice in the absence of an incumbent) and the performance of the technology under

study.

It has been designed in compliance with one of the evaluation methods identified in the International

Performance Measurement and Verification Protocol (IPVMP) except where site- or technology-specific

circumstances dictated a deviation from one of these protocols. The Measurement Plan identifies

selected IPMVP method to be used or the justification for any deviations from IPMVP.

All instrumentation under the control of evaluation staff shall be calibrated in accordance with

guidelines established in the IPMVP as described in [3].

For field evaluations, all reasonable efforts shall be made to calibrate or replace any customer-owned

instrumentation or where this is not possible, to document the calibration status of such

instrumentation.

Measurement uncertainty for each monitoring device will be documented. An error analysis evaluating

the uncertainty associated with energy and demand savings estimates will be required for the Final

Report.

All instrumentation will be commissioned prior to initiating data collection to ensure that measurement

and logging systems are functioning properly, to minimize risk of unusable data sets.

Any anomalous data will be investigated and explained. Following investigation, careful consideration

will be given to whether such data should be incorporated in the analysis or replaced by additional data

collection.

Any events that occur at customer premises during the data collection period that are likely to

compromise the validity of the assessment project and that are beyond the control of evaluation staff

will be communicated to program management without delay.


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Test site description

The test sites for this project are San Diego based existing residential homes, which are the market of

the technology. This project is a functional test to gather initial feedback and data for a future project

with a representative list of test sites. The selection process of the residential homes in the project was

based on the following desired criteria:

Preferably mostly electric single family home with electric resistance water heater (as opposed to heat pump or propane) and electric stove.

High monthly electric bills (over $100)

Preferably Active use of an air conditioning system

Broadband internet (must have)

Used 700 kWh of electricity or higher per month (must have)

Preferably a home with a swimming pool. From these criteria, 6 homes were chosen to participate in the project. The table below provides a

detailed description of the 6 residential sites as to what devices they currently have in their house that

may be applicable to the technology.

Project ID Customer # Climate Zone

[7]

AC Pool Spa Elec Dryer

Elec Water Heater

Solar Smart Phone

Mobile App 17 7 No Yes No No No No Yes

Mobile App 18 7 Yes Yes Yes Yes No No Yes

Mobile App 19 7 Yes Yes Yes No No No No

Mobile App 20 7 Yes Yes Yes No No No Yes

Mobile App 21 7 No Yes No No No No Yes

Mobile App 22 7 No No No No No No Yes

For the different sites, the site-specific factors (e.g. anticipated changes in a production facility) that

could obfuscate the impact of the technology under study on the functionality of the technology as well

as energy and demand savings are:

The technical savviness of the customer

Climate zone and age of the home, as they will affect AC usage

The customer utilizing a Smart Phone application

The amount of time the customer is at home and uses energy

Any fluctuation of normal energy using patterns

Behavioral patterns and habits of the customer

Data collection procedures

The main objective of this project, as also specified in [3] is to assess whether the technologies perform

as designed and to obtain homeowner feedback in order to determine the readiness for a large-scale,

persistent implementation. The data to be monitored in this project will be measurements from sensors

as well as personal feedback of those involved.


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This project will be focused on one vendor for a Home Area Network (HAN) with mobile apps. This will

include a mobile application and review of various other devices provided by the vendor that work with

the HAN, which are described in the following table.

Mobile Apps devices

Device Purpose Data

Gateway Home base that collects and sends information between devices and puts it on the portal

Functionality: Check that device information on portal is accurate.

Modem Provides the link between the EMS and the controllable devices; reads RF and powerline

Functionality: Cannot directly check but will be confirmed from other devices.

PCT adapter Allows RF communication between the thermostat and modem

Functionality: Cannot directly check but will be confirmed from the thermostat.

LCS Used to control/monitor pool pump Functionality: Confirm that during DR event, the Controller responds correctly. Accuracy: Measure power/power drop during DR event.

Programmable Load Control

Used to control devices that are plugged in

Functionality: Confirm that during DR event, the appliance responds correctly. Accuracy: Measure power/power drop during DR event.

Meter Used to monitor energy usage of plugged devices

Accuracy: Confirm the power measurements from each of the plugged devices.

Lamp Dimmer Used to control lamps including the power

Functionality: Confirm that the lamps respond correctly to controls. Accuracy: Confirm the power difference when controls are used.

Programmable Communicating Thermostat

Programmable thermostat used to control temperature

Functionality: Confirm that during DR event, the thermostat responds correctly. This will also check the Thermostat Adapter

Mobile App Used to monitor all devices and control devices that are plugged into the PLC

Functionality: Confirm that during DR event, the mobile phone is alerted.

Portal Used to program schedules and settings into the thermostat and other devices linked together

Functionality: Confirm that the program acts accordingly by observing the system as a whole.

Home Monitoring System

Used to monitor power consumption then is sent to the portal via gateway

Accuracy: Confirm the power measurements from the home consumption.


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Data points The data that is necessary in order to accomplish the specified objectives are:

1) The product’s technical specifications versus its performance on a lab work bench. Students at

the University of California, San Diego will provide lab testing for each technology and explain

the product and how it operates.

2) The power drop of the entire home during a demand/response event. For homes with DR

enabled Appliances or other plug loads (see section Instrumentation) this will also show the

power drop for individual appliances.

3) Individual plug loads where applicable

4) The general behavior of the technology during the demand/response simulation. It will be

based off a survey evaluation completed during the simulation. This will include observing the

devices, web portal and Smart Phones alerts during the simulation (for those technologies that

apply).

5) Customer satisfaction and implementation which will be evaluated through a survey that each

customer will complete at the completion of the project. This will give an overall view of the

customer’s perception of the technology.

6) Utility bills of each residential home. We will study the possible impact on the customer’s

energy consumption and cost with the new technologies. The results will be used to determine

the population necessary for a future detailed analysis, which in turn would allow for a

statewide prediction of saving potential.

Data sampling, recording and collection intervals

Each residential customer home involved in this project will be tested and evaluated. The controls for

the tests in this project are the results of the homes when the technologies are not in operation.

A main portion of this project is the demand/response simulation at the residential home. This

simulation will occur after the technologies are installed in each of the homes. Each home will have at

least one simulated and evaluated DR event with NegaWatt Consulting’s presence at the home. During

the simulation, the technology will be alerted about a DR signal from the ‘utility’ via an online web

portal. Once this occurs, the customer will be prompted from one of the installed devices if they would

like to participate in the event. For some of the technologies, this alert may be sent to their mobile

device and/or computer. Once the DR event begins, the technologies will be observed if they react

properly. The power drop (kW) of the home will be directly measured for immediate impact. The

power drop will depend on the expected response from the technology and if the controlled appliances

were operating before the DR event. At the conclusion of the DR event, the technology will be observed

to determine if the home returns back to its original state and all appliances are properly working.

The customers will receive one online survey by NegaWatt Consulting only at the completion of the

demand/response simulation. They will complete and submit the survey on the spot. This evaluation


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will reflect the feedback the customers had of the technologies. The table below is a detailed

description of how to conduct DR Simulation during the visit:

Technology DR Simulation

HAN w/ Mobile App Devices

1) Go to the online portal 2) Enter the given username and password 3) Click over the "Admin" tab, then click on "Demand Response" 4) Fill out the Demand Response form: a) Provider: SDG&E b) Sent to: Device (for individual home simulation), and enter gateway c) Node: Default d) Event Type: Start Demand Response 5) Select a level of "Criticality" 6) Fill out the "Load" section: a) Load Adjustment: % of dim for dimmable lights b) Duty Cycle: % of total time (specified by user) that the device should be off 7) Set Thermostat controls: offset = difference in temperature from current set temperature (ΔT>2°) 8) Set the start time and duration for the DR simulation 9) In device classes, indicate which devices shall participate in the DR simulation. Generally, the input should be "All" 10) Click "Submit"

Below is a checklist that describes the task for NegaWatt Consulting to take during a DR simulation visit:

1 Look at utility and home online portal- figure out the username and password a. Observe what is on/off, DR enabled, thermostat settings, etc

2 Customer to fill out survey 3 Observe the PLCs and confirm they are all operational 4 Check power usage at the home and compare to the online portal 5 Run DR simulation:

a. Check alerts: email, phone, online portal, in-home display b. DR simulation begins at the indicated time c. Power drop d. DR simulation ends at the indicated time e. Do appliances turn on/off as they should f. Thermostat

6 Run DR again and opt out to check functionality


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7 Check random plug load appliances with Kill-o-wattz 8 Check online usage rating price v. SDG&E's tiered charge rates

The collection interval for the energy and cost analysis will be up to two billing periods, one of the

months prior to the installation and another after installation. The utility bills under observation should

be as similar as possible in terms of outside factors such as weather which will affect HVAC use and the

amount of time the customer is home; normalization may be performed as needed if outside factors

vary too much during the observation period.

[intentionally blank]


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Instrumentation

Tools and instruments that will be used in the project are:

Outside weather temperature for the utility bill comparison. Weather Underground and

Weather Bug (http://www.wunderground.com/ and weatherbug.com) are an online source

that provides several local climate measurements, including weather. There are several stations

of weather measurements that are located relatively close to the homes in order to have

accurate comparisons. Since the utility comparison will be based from monthly bills, the

weather measurements will be downloaded on a daily average as a comma delimited text file,

then stored and charted with Microsoft Excel 2007.

A Fluke 1735 Three Phase Power Logger device for whole house power consumption. The 1735

conducts energy consumption testing by logging most electrical power parameters and captures

voltage events. Calibration of the Fluke 1735 was done on 3/30/2011. The values that will be

measured are energy and power. Measuring range and accuracy for the main variables of the

power logger are:

o Voltage (V-RMS Wye measurement)

Range (V-RMS Wye): 57 / 66 / 110 / 120 / 127 / 220 / 230/ 240 / 260 / 277 / 347 /

380 / 400 / 417 / 480 V AC

Range (V-RMS Delta): 100 / 115 / 190 /208 / 220 / 380 / 400 / 415 / 450 / 480 / 600 /

660 / 690 / 720 / 830 V AC

Resolution: 0.1 V

Intrinsic error: ± (0.2% of measured value + 5 digits)

Operating error: ± (0.5% of measured value + 10 digits)

o Current (A-RMS)

Range: 15 A / 150 A / 3000 A RMS (non-distorted sine wave)

Resolution: 0.01 A

For ranges 150 A/3000 A

Intrinsic error: •± (0.5 % of m. v. + 10 digit)

Operating error: ± (1 % of m. v. + 10 digit)

For range 15 A

Intrinsic error: ± (0.5 % of m. v. + 20 digit)

Operating error: ± (1 % of m. v. + 20 digit)

Note: Power measurement errors from the Fluke 1735 are calculated by adding the errors of

voltage and current and including error of power factor (specified error x [1- power factor

error]).

Kill-a-watt EZ will be used to check if the devices on the plug load/power strips are operational

during a DR simulation by measuring the energy (kWh). This will be connected to all the devices

in each of the residential homes that are controlled, which will ultimately depend on the

technology. Factory accuracy for this device is a 0.2%

http://www.wunderground.com/


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A survey for the DR simulation and another for customer feedback. Questions in the NegaWatt

Consulting DR survey will be completed by NegaWatt staff; the customer survey will be filled out

by the customers in a presence of NegaWatt staff to assist in case of questions.

The NegaWatt DR survey is shown below:


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Questions in the online customer feedback survey include (extract):

To view the full survey, use the following link:

https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/7D8ZLN3 Please do NOT answer the questions from this link, as

they will be deleted)

Data analysis procedures

As stated in the Introduction, all data will be reviewed before analysis and any anomaly will be

investigated and explained.

Data manipulation (aggregation, statistical analysis, etc.)

https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/7D8ZLN3


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The demand response simulation survey from NegaWatt Consulting will evaluate that the technologies

actually perform the way they are designed and configured. From the survey, an overall determination

of the product will be based off all the houses with the same installations, as some failures may depend

on different factors. If any of the overall questions indicate a failed test, then it will give insight to the

product in public use. As indicated in the evaluation, a root cause analysis will be conducted for the

source of these failures such as the technology itself or the installation process. The responses to this

evaluation will further the in lab observations that the UCSD students provided.

The online survey service will export the results of the survey into excel once all the surveys are

completed. The results of the customer feedback survey will be converted to a mathematical format.

For the survey questions with 4 possible answer choices (strongly agree to strongly disagree), the

answer responses will be divided into a percentage of 0-100%. The positive feedback will be associated

with a higher percent, and vice versa. The response answers and the overall score will be illustrated in

histogram curves. The rest of the questions will be in different mathematical format based on the

question. These will then also be charted, as shown in the example figure below. With this format, the

overall ‘score’ of the technology will be calculated. The scores will then be compared to the other

technologies to determine which technology had the best feedback. The curves will determine the

personal satisfaction and functionality of the products based on the customer.

The last section where there are comments on the customer feedback survey should provide insight into

how the ‘score’ the technology came about. The comments will also give suggestions as to what will

benefit the technology’s adoption into public.

Calculation of energy, demand and cost savings


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During the DR event, the Fluke 1735 Power Logger will collect the power measurements for each home.

The Fluke device has two components: one that measures voltage and the other that measures current.

Tools to measure these factors will be installed on the residential home’s circuit breaker to measure the

entire home consumption. The Fluke 1735 will calculate and log the power from these factors while

including the effects of errors and the power factor. The power will be logged at a 1 minute interval for

the full period of the DR simulation. The measurements will then be downloaded as a tab-separated

text file per residential home. The data will then be transferred to a spreadsheet where calculations will

be presented and charts created.

With the power measurements, the power drop and/or energy reductions from the DR for each home

will be calculated and then normalized into a percent of power drop or energy reduction compared to

the original. Further analysis of this value will calculate an average of these factors and standard

deviation for each technology. Error analysis of these calculations will be based off the inaccuracies of

the power logger as provided in the Instrumentation section.

The monthly utility bills for the homes will be used to conduct a simple calculation of energy consumed

with the technologies installed. First, the weather data and general information from each customer

will determine which month prior to installation will be used. The mean temperature of each month will

be calculated and compared. Of the months that are within a ±5⁰ margin, temperature differences will

be calculated. The daily measurements will be collected for a year prior to the installation month in

order to find a month similar in climate as the tested month.

The temperature discrepancy from the two months will be part of the error analysis. In addition, the

customer will confirm that their schedule during the month observed and a potential month prior will be

similar, including vacations and energy habits at home.

The energy consumption will then be compared to the customer feedback survey. The energy savings

will show if those who used their technologies to the most extent actually saved a significant amount

more to those who did not. This will give an overall picture of the functionality of the technologies.

The cost calculations will use the same utility bills as the energy savings. The cost savings will take into

account the amount of energy used in both months and calculate a value. Due to the various rates

during the year, this value will be calculated at a rate that will normalize the cost. Similar to the energy

savings calculations, the average and standard deviation of the cost savings will also be determined.

A market analysis will be conducted focusing on smart electronic appliances. This will begin with using

our survey to calculate a percentage of customers with the electric appliance in order to observe the

market at hand for each electric appliance. A major factor will include the responses from the customer

of their attitude towards smart electric appliances. This will include examining the different factors that

are significant to the consumer when buying a new appliance. In particular, there will be a discussion of

what entices a consumer to choose a smart appliance over the regular appliance. Barriers to the smart


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appliance market will also be discussed based off the responses to the survey. The table below is an

example of the type of analysis that will be conducted for each of the smart appliances. All numerical

figures are for sake of example only, and may turn out different in reality.

Appliance Electric Dryer

Percentage of residents with this Electric Appliance 50% Average EOL (end of life) for the Electric Appliance [*] 8 years Average Cost of Smart Appliance-present day [5] $1100 Average Cost of Regular Electric Appliance [6] $ 800 Average Load Shift with the Smart Appliance 500 W Total hours during day Smart Appliance Used 5 hours/ day

* Researched source for EOL

The findings of our data will be extrapolated to the potential of the technologies for the entire California

market. Research will be conducted to determine the penetration of each electric appliance in the

future and the market potential. From these results and research, an incentive rebate amount will be

recommended in order to improve the market adoption curve (see figure below) and avoid the gaps that

may occur during the “Early Adopters” and “Early Majority” phases.


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References

[1] HAN Eval SOW and Estimate_v1.1.docx

[2] Draft ETP assessment protocol 061610.docx

[3] REMA Phase II Project Plan.docx


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Appendix B: User Survey

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Is anyo

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save

en

ergy o

r en

ergy-re

lated

exp

en

ses

in th

e p

ast 2 ye

ars?

Calcu

lated yo

ur p

erson

al

or h

om

e "carbo

n

foo

tprin

t"

Used

com

pact flu

orescen

t

or o

ther en

ergy- efficient

light b

ulb

s

Pu

rchased

Energy Star

app

liances

Ho

me A

uto

matio

n su

ch as

smart co

ntro

llers, timers,

po

wer strip

s, etc

Ch

anged

som

e hab

its,

such

as turn

ing o

ff light

mo

re often

, etc

Used

com

pact

fluo

rescent o

r oth

er

energy- efficien

t light

bu

lbs

Ad

ded

caulkin

g or

weath

er stripp

ing

Co

mp

ared yo

ur en

ergy

usage to

usage o

f oth

er

ho

mes

Ho

me A

uto

matio

n

such

as smart

con

trollers, tim

ers,

po

wer strip

s, etc

Ch

anged

som

e hab

its,

such

as turn

ing o

ff

light m

ore o

ften, etc

Used

com

pact

fluo

rescent o

r oth

er

energy- efficien

t light

bu

lbs

Pu

rchased

Energy Star

app

liances

Up

graded

you

r ho

me

heatin

g system to

a

mo

re efficient m

od

el

Up

graded

you

r ho

me

coo

ling system

to a

mo

re efficient m

od

el

Ho

me A

uto

matio

n

such

as smart

con

trollers, tim

ers,

po

wer strip

s, etc

Used

com

pact flu

orescen

t

or o

ther en

ergy- efficient

light b

ulb

s

Ad

ded

caulkin

g or

weath

er stripp

ing

Co

mp

ared yo

ur en

ergy

usage to

usage o

f oth

er

ho

mes

Ho

me A

uto

matio

n su

ch

as smart co

ntro

llers,

timers, p

ow

er strips, etc

Ch

anged

som

e hab

its,

such

as turn

ing o

ff light

mo

re often

, etc

Used

com

pact flu

orescen

t

or o

ther en

ergy- efficient

light b

ulb

s

Ad

ded

insu

lation

Ad

ded

caulkin

g or w

eather

stripp

ing

Installed

Energy Star

win

do

ws

Pu

rchased

Energy Star

app

liances

Up

graded

you

r ho

me

heatin

g system to

a mo

re

efficient m

od

el

Up

graded

you

r ho

me

coo

ling system

to a m

ore

efficient m

od

el

Ho

me A

uto

matio

n su

ch as

smart co

ntro

llers, timers,

po

wer strip

s, etc

Solar in

stallation


CONSULTING

of 66

Wh

at, action

s do

es yo

ur h

ou

seh

old

plan

to u

nd

ertake

in o

rde

r to save

en

ergy o

r en

ergy re

lated

exp

en

ses

in th

e n

ext 1

2 m

on

ths

Calcu

lated yo

ur p

erson

al

or h

om

e "carbo

n

foo

tprin

t"

Used

com

pact flu

orescen

t

or o

ther en

ergy- efficient

light b

ulb

s

Pu

rchased

Energy Star

app

liances

Ho

me A

uto

matio

n su

ch as

smart co

ntro

llers, timers,

po

wer strip

s, etc

Ch

anged

som

e hab

its,

such

as turn

ing o

ff light

mo

re often

, etc

Ad

ded

insu

lation

Used

com

pact

fluo

rescent o

r oth

er

energy- efficien

t light

bu

lbs

Installed

Energy Star

win

do

ws

Pu

rchased

Energy Star

app

liances

Ho

me A

uto

matio

n

such

as smart

con

trollers, tim

ers,

po

wer strip

s, etc

Used

com

pact flu

orescen

t

or o

ther en

ergy- efficient

light b

ulb

s

Ad

ded

caulkin

g or

weath

er stripp

ing

Installed

Energy Star

win

do

ws

Pu

rchased

Energy Star

app

liances

Up

graded

you

r ho

me

heatin

g system to

a mo

re

efficient m

od

el

Up

graded

you

r ho

me

coo

ling system

to a m

ore

efficient m

od

el

Co

mp

ared yo

ur en

ergy

usage to

usage o

f oth

er

ho

mes

No

ne

A sm

art me

ter re

cord

s en

ergy u

se

thro

ugh

ou

t the

day an

d

com

mu

nicate

s this in

form

ation

to

the

utility. B

efo

re to

day h

ow

familiar w

ere

you

with

the

con

cep

t

of a sm

art me

ter

Kn

ew a lo

t abo

ut it

Kn

ew a lo

t abo

ut it

Kn

ew a lo

t abo

ut it

Kn

ew a lo

t abo

ut it

Kn

ew so

meth

ing ab

ou

t it

SDG

&E m

ay charge

low

er p

rice fo

r

en

ergy at so

called

off-p

eak tim

es o

f

the

day, w

he

n state

wid

e e

ne

rgy

use

is low

, and

a high

er p

rice at

pe

ak time

s. This is calle

d tim

e o

f

use

pricin

g. Be

fore

tod

ay, ho

w

familiar w

ere

you

with

the

con

cep

t

of TO

U p

ricing?

Kn

ew so

meth

ing ab

ou

t itK

new

som

ethin

g abo

ut

it

Kn

ew a lo

t abo

ut it

Kn

ew a lo

t abo

ut it

Kn

ew a lo

t abo

ut it


CONSULTING

of 66

IF available

I wo

uld

switch

to a TO

U

rate stru

cture

and

adju

st my e

ne

rgy

use

to take

advan

tage o

f cost savin

g

op

po

rtun

ties d

urin

g off b

eak h

ou

rs,

ho

w d

o yo

u agre

e

stron

gly agreeagree

stron

gly agreestro

ngly agree

stron

gly agree

SDG

&E m

ay offe

r so-calle

d d

em

and

resp

on

se p

rogram

s, wh

ere

you

pay

low

er rate

s for e

ne

rgy year-ro

un

d,

in e

xchan

ge fo

r allow

ing th

e u

tility

to au

tom

atically adju

st certain

de

vices in

you

r ho

me

du

ring critical

pe

ak usage

pe

riod

s. Examp

les

inclu

de

you

r ho

me

's air con

ditio

ne

r,

you

r po

ol p

um

ps, o

r certain

app

liance

s such

as ele

ctrical cloth

es

drye

rs. The

utility in

voke

s such

pro

grams ap

pro

ximate

ly 10

time

s

pe

r year, u

sually o

n h

ot su

mm

er

days. B

efo

re to

day, h

ow

familiar

we

re yo

u w

ith th

e co

nce

pt o

f a

de

man

d re

spo

nse

pro

gram?

knew

som

ethin

g abo

ut it

Kn

ew a lo

t abo

ut it

Kn

ew a lo

t abo

ut it

Kn

ew a lo

t abo

ut it

knew

som

ethin

g abo

ut it

If available

, I wo

uld

particip

ate in

de

man

d re

spo

nse

pro

grams an

d

allow

the

utility to

adju

st my e

ne

rgy

use

du

ring critical p

eak tim

es

(assum

e yo

u can

cho

ose

wh

at the

utility ge

ts to co

ntro

l du

ring

pro

gram sign

-up

).

stron

gly agreestro

ngly agree

stron

gly agreestro

ngly agree

agree


CONSULTING

of 66

Wh

ich d

evice

s, app

liance

s, and

plu

g-

load

s wo

uld

you

con

side

r suitab

le

for D

R e

ven

t inclu

sion

(particip

ation

). An

swe

r all that

app

ly.

po

ol an

d sp

a feature

pu

mp

sP

oo

l and

spa filtratio

n

pu

mp

s

Po

ol an

d sp

a feature

pu

mp

s (waterfalls,

fou

ntain

s, etc)

Po

ol an

d sp

a heaters

Air C

on

ditio

ners

(increase set p

oin

t)

Miscellan

eou

s plu

g

load

s such

as readin

g

lights, TV

s, fishtan

k

pu

mp

s, etc.

Po

ol an

d sp

a filtration

pu

mp

s

Po

ol an

d sp

a feature

pu

mp

s (waterfalls,

fou

ntain

s, etc)

Dish

wash

er

Wash

er

Dryer

Air C

on

ditio

ners

(increase set p

oin

t)

Miscellan

eou

s plu

g

load

s such

as readin

g

lights, TV

s, fishtan

k

pu

mp

s, etc.

Po

ol an

d sp

a filtration

pu

mp

s

Dish

wash

er

Wash

er

Dryer

Po

ol an

d sp

a heaters

Air C

on

ditio

ners (in

crease

set po

int)

Po

ol an

d sp

a filtration

pu

mp

s

Po

ol an

d sp

a feature

pu

mp

s (waterfalls,

fou

ntain

s, etc)

Po

ol an

d sp

a heaters

Smart ap

plian

ces co

nn

ect to

the

Inte

rne

t, allow

ing yo

u to

view

info

rmatio

n ab

ou

t cycle statu

s,

en

ergy co

nsu

mp

tion

, and

main

ten

ance

ne

ed

s on

an In

tern

et-

con

ne

cted

de

vice like

a "smart"

ph

on

e o

r com

pu

ter. "Sm

art"

app

liance

s can also

be

linke

d w

ith

smart m

ete

rs to au

tom

atically avoid

pe

ak en

ergy rate

s by d

elayin

g start

time

s or p

ausin

g cycles. N

ext tim

e I

am in

the

marke

t for b

uyin

g an

app

liance

, I will co

nsid

er b

uyin

g a

"smart" ve

rsion

of th

e ap

plian

ce.

stron

gly agreestro

ngly agree

stron

gly agreestro

ngly agree

agree


CONSULTING

of 66

Asid

e fro

m re

gular p

rod

uct

featu

res, w

hat is th

e im

po

rtance

you

place

on

the

follo

win

g factors

wh

en

makin

g a de

cision

abo

ut

wh

eth

er to

bu

y a "smart" ve

rsion

of

an ap

plian

ce. P

lease

rank in

ord

er o

f

imp

ortan

ce: 1

(mo

st imp

ortan

t) to

6(le

ast imp

ortan

t)

Co

st, Ab

ility to

mo

nito

r/con

trol via

intern

et/smartp

ho

ne,

rebates/co

st incen

tives,

bran

d, ab

ility to save

mo

ney o

n en

ergy costs,

ability to

get main

tanan

ce

cost, ab

ility to save

mo

ney o

n en

ergy

costs, reb

ates/ cost

incen

tives, bran

d,

ability to

mo

nito

r/con

trol via

intern

et or

smartp

ho

ne, ab

ility to

get main

tanan

ce

/repair alerts

rebates/co

st

incen

tives, ability to

mo

nito

r and

con

trol

via intern

et or

smartp

ho

ne, ab

ility to

get main

tanan

ce/repair

alerts

rebates/co

st

incen

tives,ability to

save

mo

ney o

n en

ergy costs,

ability to

mo

nito

r/con

trol

via Intern

et or

smartp

ho

ne, ab

ility to get

main

tanan

ce/repair alerts

rebates/co

st incen

tives,

ability to

get main

tanen

ce,

bran

d

Do

es so

me

on

e in

you

r ho

use

ho

ld

stay on

top

of n

ew

de

velo

pm

en

ts in

en

ergy e

fficien

cy, "smart"

app

liance

s, ho

me

auto

matio

n,

ren

ew

able

en

ergy, an

d so

on

?

yesyes

yesyes

no


CONSULTING

of 66

Ind

ep

en

de

nt o

f this H

AN

Evaluatio

n, w

hich

of th

ese

pro

du

cts

wo

uld

you

con

side

r bu

ying if so

ld at

the

ind

icated

cost:

Oth

er (please sp

ecify

features an

d co

st) -

interested

in so

ftware

solu

tion

s to d

evelop

pro

grams th

at turn

thin

gs

on

and

off o

r alter set

po

ints as a fu

nctio

n o

f my

lifestyle hab

its.

Ho

me En

ergy

Dash

bo

ard [$

10

0

installed

]: Web

-based

dash

bo

ard th

at allow

s

the m

on

itorin

g a

ho

me's to

tal energy

use in

15

-min

ute

increm

ents.

Smart o

utlets [$

20

0-

$4

00

installed

]:

Transm

it energy

con

sum

ptio

n p

er

ou

tlet to a w

eb-b

ased

softw

are app

lication

.

Ou

tlets can b

e shu

t off

remo

tely, too

.

Basic in

tegrated

mo

nito

ring an

d co

ntro

l

[$5

00

-$1

50

0]: sim

ilar

features to

ho

me

dash

bo

ard an

d sm

art

plu

g, bu

t also in

clud

es

remo

te con

trol fo

r

hard

wired

load

s such

as po

ol p

um

ps an

d

therm

ostats, an

d a

ded

icated d

isplay w

ith

tou

chscreen

. Will sh

ow

energy u

se for m

ost

ind

ividu

al load

s in th

e

Ad

vanced

integrated

mo

nito

ring an

d co

ntro

l

[$2

00

0+ in

stalled]:

similar to

basic, b

ut

also ties in

to o

ther

ho

me system

s such

as

entertain

men

t,

security, etc., an

d d

oes

sho

w H

VA

C en

ergy use.

Ho

me En

ergy Dash

bo

ard

[$1

00

installed

]: Web

-

based

dash

bo

ard th

at

allow

s the m

on

itorin

g a

ho

me's to

tal energy u

se

in 1

5-m

inu

te increm

ents.

Basic in

tegrated

mo

nito

ring an

d co

ntro

l

[$5

00

-$1

50

0]: sim

ilar

features to

ho

me

dash

bo

ard an

d sm

art

plu

g, bu

t also in

clud

es

remo

te con

trol fo

r

hard

wired

load

s such

as

po

ol p

um

ps an

d

therm

ostats, an

d a

ded

icated d

isplay w

ith

tou

chscreen

. Will sh

ow

energy u

se for m

ost

ind

ividu

al load

s in th

e

ho

me, b

ut n

ot fo

r HV

AC

.

Ad

vanced

integrated

mo

nito

ring an

d co

ntro

l

[$2

00

0+ in

stalled]:

similar to

basic, b

ut also

ties in to

oth

er ho

me

systems su

ch as

entertain

men

t, security,

etc., and

do

es sho

w H

VA

C

energy u

se.

Ad

vanced

integrated

mo

nito

ring an

d co

ntro

l

[$2

00

0+ in

stalled]: sim

ilar

to b

asic, bu

t also ties in

to

oth

er ho

me system

s such

as entertain

men

t, security,

etc., and

do

es sho

w H

VA

C

energy u

se.

Ho

w d

o yo

u agre

e w

ith th

e

follo

win

g (4-stro

ngly agre

e,3

-

agree

,2-d

isagree

, 1-stro

ngly

disagre

e)

I use

the

pro

du

ct freq

ue

ntly:

44

44

3


CONSULTING

of 66

This p

rod

uct is e

asy to u

se3

23

43

I con

side

r myse

lf a tech

nically savvy

pe

rson

44

44

3

I am h

app

y with

the

pro

du

ct3

34

43

I use

the

on

line

custo

me

r po

rtal

freq

ue

ntly

22

33

2

I am h

app

y with

the

custo

me

r

po

rtal

33

44

2

I use

the

mo

bile

ph

on

e ap

plicatio

n

freq

ue

ntly

33

34

I wo

uld

pu

rchase

this p

rod

uct e

ven

if the

re w

as no

mo

bile

/ipad

app

lication

to it

no

no

no

yes

Do

you

plan

to ke

ep

this p

rod

uct

installe

d afte

r pro

ject co

mp

letio

n

yesyes

yesyes

yes

Wo

uld

you

bu

y this p

rod

uct

<$1

00

>$5

00

>$5

00

$2

00

-50

0>$

50

0

Wo

uld

you

reco

mm

en

d th

is pro

du

ctyes

yesyes

yesyes

Wh

at type

s of p

eo

ple

do

you

thin

k

wo

uld

like th

is pro

du

ct

just like m

e, mo

st

techn

ically savy, with

high

er energy b

ills

just like m

e, mo

st

techn

ically savy, with

high

er energy b

ills

Less techn

olo

gically

savvy than

me

With

high

er energy

bills th

an m

e

Just like m

e

Mo

re techn

olo

gically

savvy than

me

Less techn

olo

gically savvy

than

me

With

high

er energy b

ills

than

me

With

low

er energy b

ills

than

me

Just like m

e

Mo

re techn

olo

gically savvy

than

me

Less techn

olo

gically savvy

than

me

With

high

er energy b

ills

than

me

With

low

er energy b

ills

than

me

Wh

at did

you

like ab

ou

t this

pro

du

ct

help

ed m

e to m

anip

ulate

my th

ermo

stat

very rob

ust, u

ses little

po

ewr

reliability, flexib

ilityease o

f use, h

elps save

energy

I like bein

g able to

con

trol

my ligh

ts remo

tely

Wh

at did

n’t yo

u like

abo

ut th

is

pro

du

ct

user in

terface is no

t

design

ed fo

r the average

ho

me o

wn

er

som

ewh

at com

plicated

for less tech

savy user

need

access to m

ore

pro

gramm

ing exam

ples

wo

uld

be n

ice if the ap

p

wo

uld

wo

rk via intern

et,

no

t just lan

the ad

min

pro

gram can

be

a bit co

nfu

sing


CONSULTING

of 66

Po

ssible

imp

rove

me

nts

ability to

share p

rogram

ssim

pler setu

p, w

ider

device(lo

ad co

nto

ller)

sup

po

rt

The system

is excellent

as is the *ven

do

r*

con

trol co

mp

uter. I

wo

uld

feel mo

re

com

fortab

le with

mo

re

sou

rces for d

evices.

Wo

uld

be h

elpfu

l if the

equ

ipm

ent b

eing

con

trolled

was "sm

art" or

cou

ld co

ntro

l with

ou

t just

killing th

e po

wer to

it.

Had

an issu

e with

a

win

do

w A

C u

nit, th

at

wh

en th

e po

wer w

as

restored

to it th

e settings

wen

t back to

defau

lt, ie

had

to tu

rn it b

ack on

...if

the ac u

nit w

as an o

lder

mo

del w

ith sw

itches

instead

of th

e digital

con

trol it w

ou

ldn

't have

been

an issu

e. Also

, I

wo

uld

con

sider b

uyin

g

this p

rod

uct w

itho

ut a

ph

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home area networks with mobile applications · 9/20/2012 · home area networks with mobile...

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