The possibilities raised by smart metering haven’t gone unnoticed by home automation manufacturers.

Control4, for one, has secured an additional $20 million in equity financing to accelerate the development of energy management systems and home energy displays for its emerging smart metering initiatives.

For home automation systems, smart metering and in-home displays include network management systems, enhanced electric meter capabilities and home area network (HAN) devices as key technologies required for the smart grid.

HAN devices such as energy management systems and displays allow customers to view real-time information on power use, enabling the active participation of energy-conscious consumers.

Control4 chief executive Will West says innovative home automation and energy management solutions provide new energy monitoring and control capabilities.

“The funding will help us maximise this new market opportunity by advancing Control4’s ability to control and integrate with other devices in any residence or business connected to a smart grid.

“With this financing, we can increase our resources to deliver products desired by home-owners, businesses and utility companies.”

The company’s energy management solutions, combined with two-way communication smart meters, will engage customers in a dialogue about reducing electricity consumption – continuously and at critical peak times.

Using ZigBee, WiFi and Ethernet standards, Control4 solutions give customers useful, real-time information on energy consumption. They can control and automate thermostats, lights, spa or pool, sprinklers, and more, to manage power use.

The Control4 in-home system can also provide event-based alerts so users can remotely make changes, thereby reducing utility bills.

Smart metering has also caught the attention of high-end control system manufacturer AMX, which was the first member of member of the home automation industry to become a member of the Green Building Council of Australia.

Over the past several months AMX Australia has been working with EDMI, a designer and manufacturer of electronic energy metering systems, to develop a user interface/display for their smart meters. Theoretically, other smart meters could be used, as long as they have a serial port available for connection to an AMX NetLinx control system, though EDMI is the first to have a specific NetLinx module written for it.

The Atlas range of EDMI smart meters is designed for single phase and three phase sub-metering installations. These meters would typically be installed down-stream of the main distribution board utility meter, and could be installed wherever individual circuit or supply metering is required within a building.

AMX Australia has developed a display page which can reside on an AMX NetLinx controller and be displayed on any AMX touch screen. By interfacing the EDMI Mk7A single phase electronic revenue energy meter with a NetLinx controller via RS232, the AMX touch screen can display in real time a host of energy and related data, including:
• total power usage;
• current power consumption;
• current draw;
• power quality;
• residual current detection;
• meter power status;
• energy target status;
• estimated energy cost; and,
• carbon footprint.

The carbon footprint calculation is based on the coefficient of the power source used by the provider, ie: percentage of coal, hydro and/or wind generated power.

Also see:
Smart meters and the smart grid
How will the smart grid work?
The down side to smart metering
Smart meter FAQs