Home Energy Management Systems

“The Internet of Things” (IoT) is a term coined in 1999 to describe the vast array of connected devices like refrigerators, blenders, cars, cameras, light bulbs, thermostats, pacemakers, and yes, even Barbie. 

This article first appeared on Efficiency Vermont's blog on October 26. 

While completing my Masters of Science in Environmental Science and Policy at Clark University, I had the opportunity to work as a Smart Energy Ambassador at the National Grid Sustainability Hub (the Hub). Energy became my concentration in grad school; I look at it as the central point in environmental issues, as well as the solution. During my time at the Hub, I was able to interact with customers and help them engage with energy efficiency and demand response programs, while gaining a deeper understanding of how people use their energy.

Did you ever watch the Jetsons? What about Back to the Future 2 (where the “future” was 2015, by the way)? Maybe you entered the new millennium expecting, in no time, to live in a home with fingerprint key access, voice commands preparing dinner, and perhaps even a robotic friend greeting you at the end of a long day?

It’s been 20 years since utility companies, policymakers and efficiency leaders got together to form what would become “the Northeast Energy Efficiency Partnerships” (NEEP). In 2016, as we navigate a period of rapid change in the energy landscape, NEEP looks back on the maturation of efficiency and how far the nation, the region and the industry have come in embracing efficiency as a resource that can help enable the energy systems of the future: clean, smart, responsive, resilient.