PowerWatch

Introduction
The Technology
Features/Benefits
Results
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PowerWatch: The next step in SmartGrid Technology

One of the key goals of the SmartGrid is to reduce peak demand. Power utilities are realizing that simply deploying Smart Meters doesn't achieve the desired consumer behavioral change.

Empowering the Consumer

The essence of the PowerWatch system is to empower the consumer to take control of their energy use and develop a conservation behavior. This results in lower costs to the consumer and reduced peak demand for the power utility - key goals of the SmartGrid.

PowerWatch empowers the consumer by providing real-time visual feedback about power use and by providing user friendly controls for demand response. The continuous visual feedback allows the consumer to immediately determine how switching on/off lights and appliances impact their power use and how much that will impact cost.

With the PowerWatch In-home Display (IHD), consumers are able to gain an intuitive understanding of how and where energy is being consumed in their home and then make changes that will reduce electricity use. As a result, PowerWatch users typically see a 10-20% decrease in their electrical consumption and costs!

Why Partner with PowerWatch?

PowerWatch brings much-needed consumer friendliness to the SmartGrid. By partnering with PowerWatch, your customers will be much more satisfied with their user experience while achieving energy conservation particularly during peak demand. Other reasons for partnering with PowerWatch include:

Proven technology and consumer use model that typically results in 10-20% sustained reduction in energy use
Cost effective
PowerWatch understands the psychology of behavioral change and our products can mitigate consumer backlash
PowerWatch believes in embracing standards rather than employing proprietary solutions. This approach helps to reduce obsolescence and enable a more competitive marketplace.
The PowerWatch product is very flexible and easily customized
PowerWatch is also aligned with major meter and demand response host solutions to be able to offer an integrated solution

The PowerWatch Technology

PowerWatch provides a flexible hardware/software platform that allows utilities to adopt the technology quickly and without being tied down to a single vendor.

The PowerWatch Hardware

A user-friendly, cost-effective 7" touchscreen display device is at the heart of the PowerWatch system. The gateway functionality acts as a wireless communication hub that communicates over 3 networks:

WiFi (802.11b/g) for LAN/WAN communication
ZigBee SEP for meter/sensor communication
Z-Wave for load control (relays, thermostats, etc.)

By using wireless communication the PowerWatch hardware is easily installed in existing homes and new construction.

Application Software Development

Custom application development with the PowerWatch system is essentially creating web pages. This makes creating, deploying, and updating applications quick and low cost. Complete control over the user experience can be customized and branded according to specific needs.

Applications are developed using the PowerWatch Application Framework (PAF) which provides all of the resources needed to build powerful energy monitoring and control applications.

The PowerWatch IHD

The PowerWatch Application Framework

The PAF is composed of 3 layers:

Hardware Abstraction Layer (HAL): provides the interface to all communications hardware
Services Layer: Provides a database for warehousing data and a web server with extensions that enable and simplify application development
Application Layer: applications are built using HTML/Javascript and the PowerWatch API

Branding, look, and feel are easily controlled through the use of CSS.

While the entire application framework runs localy on the gateway hardware, content such as RSS feeds can easily be incorporated into the application. This opens up the possibility of E-comerce and banner ads that can create new revenue streams to subsidize the cost of DR deployment.

The PowerWatch Application Framework

Feature	Benefit
Colour touch screen based display, compelling graphical user interface	User friendly, good consumer acceptance
Wireless communication	Easy to install in existing or new homes
In-home gateway server architecture	Reduces host system overhead, provides customer with rich set of realtime and historical data
Based on published standards (can accommodate proprietary communication as needed)	Can source components from multiple vendors, avoid vendor lock-in
Can use customers broadband connection or AMI network for demand response communication	Reduced loading of the AMI network
Supports ZigBee for meter/sensor reading	ZigBee is being adopted by multiple vendors (greater vendor selection)
Supports Z-Wave for load control	Many low-cost thermostats and switch devices available from multiple vendors.
Ability to stream rich media content for paid banner ads	Allows consumer cost subsidy model, new revenue stream for utilities
Easy/quick to customize	Fast time-to-market
Secure	Protect customer privacy
Ability to extend to monitoring of gas/water and carbon credits	Comprehensive energy/resource monitoring in a single platform

Numerous studies and pilot projects attest to the effectiveness of realtime in-home displays including:

For more information on how PowerWatch can enhance your demand response results, please contact:

Janeen Stodulski (janeen@powerwatch.com)
1-866-964-2046 / 905-465-9444