Duke Energy (NYSE: DUK) and Cisco (Nasdaq: CSCO) have signed an agreement to pilot and further develop a smart grid-enabled home energy management solution to provide Duke Energy customers with home energy use information.
The announcement corresponds with the unveiling this week of Cisco’s Home Energy Management Solution, which features a proprietary Home Energy Controller (CGH-100) designed to work in concert with Cisco Energy Management Services, a platform whereby utilities can manage and integrate data from homes with their back-end applications.
The CGH-100 countertop display gives consumers insight into their energy usage and enables them to set schedules for energy use based on real-time household, historic and individual appliance consumption.
Duke Energy is testing the systems this summer with customers in Charlotte, N.C., and in Cincinnati, Ohio, where the company has installed digital smart grid technologies.
In addition to home energy management, Duke Energy and Cisco said they will work to bring together manufacturers of household products like appliances, electrical outlets, air conditioners, water heaters and plug-in electric vehicles to create an ecosystem of products that connect with the Cisco Home Energy Management Solution.