Home area networks help Texans control energy use

Two smart-grid pilot programs are enabling residential and small-business customers in central Texas to actively monitor and control their energy usage through a home area network (HAN) installed at their properties.

The pilots, led by Verizon Wireless and load management technology company Consert, involved customers with the Bluebonnet Electric Cooperative and Pedernales Electric Cooperative. Consert uses Verizon Wireless’ 3G and 4G LTE networks to provide real-time communication from customers’ electric meters to its Consert data center.

Consert found its Virtual Peak Plant solution effectively managed grid loads both during Texas’ severe winter weather in February and during high daily temperatures in May.

Consert establishes a customer HAN by attaching intelligent load measurement and control hardware to major energy-consuming devices, such as heating and air conditioning systems, water heaters, and pool pumps. It also uses programmable thermostats that communicate with a gateway module residing inside the electric meter.

Through Consert’s software, pilot participants set daily energy use profiles, monitor their energy consumption, and authorize their electric cooperative to cycle their devices off for brief periods during peak energy consumption events.

“Our tests on Consert’s technology during the winter load events showed the enormous potential of a load management program that benefits both consumers and utilities,” said Mark Rose, CEO of Bluebonnet. “When used on a broader scale, this technology will be another way for Texas utilities to address, and hopefully avoid, future outage scenarios.”