U.S. Advances ENERGY STAR-Certified Smart Home Energy Management Systems
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on Jan. 4 announced the first of its kind Smart Home Energy Management System, or SHEMS, which will assist homeowners in obtaining ENERGY STAR certification and creating a one-of-a-kind smart home. SHEMS refers to a package of smart home products that are connected to a central service and enables end users to save energy through remote control, scheduling, and automated device control based on occupancy detection. This system will allow end users to monitor and control the usage of smart products like home appliances, home entertainment, lighting, and EV charger appliances all from a single platform. The ENERGY STAR certification enables users to choose energy management systems that conserve resources and reduce carbon footprint.
Energy star ratings are given to products that meet the U.S. Energy Department and EPA’s energy efficiency requirements. In 2020, U.S. citizens bought more than 600 million ENERGY STAR-certified products and lighting bulbs worth $100 billion market value. In 2020 alone, ENERGY STAR and its partners helped consumers save more than 520 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity and avoid $42 billion in energy costs.
The ENERGY STAR-certified SHEMS provides end users with an improved smart home experience by maximizing energy savings. EPA’s SHEMS offers a national platform for energy efficiency that is customizable, scalable, and can be leveraged by a variety of stakeholders.
Key Features of The SHEMS Performance Criteria:
- ENERGY STAR-certified smart products such as plug load control, thermostat, and ENERGY STAR certified lighting
- Standby limit features on all required equipment.
- Ability to gather and use occupancy data to take the right decisions
- Accessibility feature to access energy use information that enables energy-saving behavior.
- Provide a daily kilowatt-hours budget for active lights while away.
- Provide an integration feature with the grid that enables demand response functionality.
- Provide integration features with utility dynamic pricing schedules.
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