https://www.metering.com/news/metering-appliance-level-finally-possible/
[Given the current state of IoT security and general standards maturity,
to paraphrase a line from the movie Hunt for Red October, "Possible, but
not recommended." If you can control your appliances remotely, with
weak security, so can someone else.
Strong OEM security tools alone are not enough; we have to get device
owners to understand why device level security is important, to
implement it appropriately and maintain it. That will become tiresome
if vendors are providing security patches continuously. Think MS
Windows security updates, but separate streams for the 10 or more smart
appliances you might have.
Without the Internet, you can get a $20 device and put it between your
appliance and the wall socket, and it can tell you what the energy
consumption of the appliance is. More expensive versions will provide a
continuous record you can play back and analyze. The utility where I
live is already using smart meter data to report to me daily how much
energy is spent on EV charging vs. typical appliances vs. air
conditioning vs. 'always-on' devices. No need to insert additional
hardware inside the firewall(s) in our house.]
29 September 2017
Is metering down to appliance level finally possible?
"A smart metering technology breakthrough that will potentially allow
energy suppliers for the first time to provide customers with itemised
bills and statements showing their specific electricity consumption by
appliance type," may be a reality according to 42 Technology.
The company is working on technology which can be displayed in real time
via a phone app, which could give consumers the feedback and
encouragement they need to start taking a more active role in managing
their household electricity bills. This could mean by limiting usage of
specific appliances, switching devices off rather than leaving them on
standby, or replacing outdated appliances with more energy-efficient models.
According to a release by the technology company, its patented Triple
Ohm technology is being developed to be integrated into new generation
smart meters in both domestic and commercial settings. Working with all
electrical appliances, the technology has been specifically designed so
that everything is embedded within the meter without consumers having to
purchase any special switches, devices or other technology add-ons.
Triple Ohm monitors changes in the high frequency current or voltage
harmonics in a single- or poly-phase power supply caused when specific
appliances are used. It can identify and differentiate between the
characteristic traces belonging to specific appliance types and, using a
sophisticated data analysis algorithm, separate them out to calculate
energy consumption per device. The resulting data can then be displayed
in real time via a smartphone app or a low cost home energy monitor, and
can also be stored within the meter for incorporation into the
householder’s next bill.
Says Jeremy Carey, managing director of 42 Technology: “42 Technology
has recently been awarded an Innovate UK Energy Catalyst 4 grant to help
us demonstrate the feasibility of using Triple Ohm technology to
identify different appliance types and to separate out their demands
from a single metering point. We have already built a number of
demonstration units, several team members have had them installed in
their homes as part of a field trial, and we are starting to collect
real usage data to show to potential development partners.”
42 Technology’s innovative smart metering technology can also provide
energy companies with more detailed feedback on patterns of domestic and
commercial energy usage than is currently available with existing
technologies and monitoring systems. As a result, it could help energy
suppliers to find more cost effective and efficient ways to balance
supply with changing demands while complying with carbon reduction targets.
In addition to smart metering, 42 Technology is also developing Triple
Ohm for use in a low cost system for remote monitoring of the UK’s
network of electricity distribution substations. The company was
awarded an Innovate UK phase one grant for this application which it
announced in November 2016 and since then has secured phase two funding
to enable further commercialisation.
