The Connected Home Made Easy With Meterless Home Area Network (HAN) Energy Gateway

A new, meterless way to conserve energy for window air conditioners and other devices helps bring the smart grid to home owners.

The 3G Home Area Network Energy Gateway, powered by the Verizon Wireless network, is a meterless, self-installable smart grid solution that enables consumers to connect to the Internet to manage their energy use for plugged-in devices.

The 3G Home Area Network (HAN) Energy Gateway creates a connected solution for the home, while at the same time providing utilities the ability to implement demand response programs and to create targeted programs to any geographic area of high priority during an emergency.

Home Energy Management (HEM) is a major residential smart grid component and also one of the fastest growing applications for today’s smart home. According to a new report from Pike Research, a part of Navigant’s Energy Practice, the total number of households worldwide with a HAN Energy Gateway will reach 57.5 million by 2020.

To utilize HEM, a Home Area Network Energy Gateway is required to connect to the broadband network. With wireless connectivity, most homes can be connected to the smart grid with little or no intervention by a utility.

The Gateway was designed to work with ThinkEco’s modlet or modlet smartAC thermostat. The modlet is a smart plug that enables users to wirelessly meter and control power use from a standard electrical outlet. Presetting individual outlets to turn on and off based on individual schedules, or remotely switching them on and off from a smartphone can lead to less energy waste. 

By adding a smartAC thermostat, users can also add smart thermostat control to their window air conditioners. Customers can remotely turn their AC on or off, preset schedules and set the temperature from any smartphone or Web browser. 

Check out more from Verizon at CES.