Honeywell and Opower To Develop Home Energy Management Solution

Opower and Honeywell announced plans to collaborate on the development of a home energy management solution.  Honeywell will offer its expertise in control system and Opower, their data analysis solution.  The first solution expected from the partnership is a Web-connected programmable thermostat that measures, analyze and reports on the homes' electricity use.

From the new solution customers will be able to access their utility the data from a Web portal or mobile application to get a snapshot of their energy use and spending. The technology will also suggest and automatically implement cost-saving changes, and will present equivalent data from similar families in the same geography to provide a benchmark and additional context.

"Empowering consumers to adjust how they use electricity starts with awareness," said Jeremy Eaton, vice president of energy solutions for Honeywell. "But it doesn't end there - they also need easy-to-use controls to implement changes and make them stick.”

Honeywell said there are plans to develop the solution further which may include support for utilities' efficiency programs for light commercial customers, as well as demand response programs.  This help to temporarily reduce electricity consumption when energy use spikes and strains the grid. Honeywell also plans to sell similar products through residential contractors and retailers.