Dive Brief:
- Honeywell announced on Tuesday it is pushing out a software update to connect its programmable Wi-Fi thermostats to utilities.
- With the update, customers can now opt into demand response programs directly through their smart thermostat.
- “The benefit to the utility is that our entire installed base of wifi thermostats is now available to them as a resource for a demand response program. Not every utility participates in demand response, but we’re making this investment in our infrastructure now to get ahead of the curve,” Jeremy Eaton, vice president and general manager of Honeywell Smart Grid Solutions, told Forbes.
Dive Insight:
Utilities are increasingly implementing demand response programs to reduce peak demand, flatten load curves and ultimately avoid costly new power plants. Navigant Research projects demand response sites to more than double by 2020. Home automation technology companies like Honeywell are finding new ways to tap into this growing market.