Opportunities for residential energy management systems are not confined to smart meter deployments and HAN activations. Consumers are already adopting systems that are not part of utility AMI programs that display electricity consumption and allow them to better manage the electricity they do consume.
Parks Associates notes the key differences between HANs and iREMs:
Home Area Network (HAN):
• A utility industry term for a home control network focused on energy management applications
– Systems and devices on the HAN communicate with utility control systems
– Gateway to utility may be the electric meter
– Can be part of a utility Demand Response (DR) or alternative billing program, e.g., Time-of-Use (TOU), Critical Peak Pricing (CPP)
Independent Residential Energy Management Network (iREM Net):
• A residential energy management monitoring and/or control network independent of utility control or connectivity
• Minimum configuration includes a programmable communicating thermostat (PCT)
• Can be a part of an integrated home control system
