Eon launches future energy smart home project

Eon is collaborating with property developer Berkeley Homes to pilot the “Future Energy Home” research project.

The project is trialing the integration of the latest smart home technologies at Berkeley’s Kidbrooke Village development in London in a bid to better understand how to help how to help homeowners live a lower cost, less carbon-reliant lifestyle.

It is thought to be the “first of its kind” to demonstrate innovative energy devices working seamlessly through a single, tablet-based dashboard. Customers will be able to have practical control over their energy use and the ability to power their own homes.

Under the scheme residents will be able to generate and store electricity in a battery. This will help them to cut bills to make use of in-built renewable sources such as self-generated green energy to charge electric vehicles, and to relieve pressure on the power grid at times of high demand.

Technology will include smart thermostats and other appliances controlled by a single, tablet-based home energy dashboard, developed by Eon. This gives homeowners a detailed view of their energy flow across the whole building. This also includes controls for room-by-room customisation of temperature.

The dashboard also controls and schedules the operation of energy assets to fit preferences and needs, such as charging an electric car on home-grown solar power – without having to navigate a “maze of separate apps” for each piece of technology.

Solar glazing can supply up to 60 per cent of the energy needs of the home, generating over 2,100KWH each year.

Research gathered from the initiative will help inform how smart home solutions are “delivered in a way that consumers find simple and convenient, to enhance their lifestyles while also saving them money and reducing their carbon footprint”.

Reducing carbon consumption is a “strategic priority” for both companies.

Berkeley already operates as a carbon positive company and is committed to enabling all its homes to be at net zero carbon by 2030.

The company says this pilot study part of realising these objectives.

Michael Lewis, Eon UK chief executive, said: “Across the UK we’ve made great strides in developing new and lower carbon energy sources, the next challenge is in housing and transport; improving the homes we live in now and in the future and decarbonising transport by promoting the convenience and capability of electric vehicles.

“The new energy world is decentralised, green, and interconnected but sustainability is about more than technology, it is most importantly about creating something that fits with people’s lives. Our work with Berkeley on the Future Energy Home is about making sure homes are smart and lower carbon but also convenient and manageable when it comes to managing our busy lives.”

Karl Whiteman, divisional managing director at Berkeley Homes, said: “Our industry needs to have a clear focus on sustainability and efficiency – in the homes we build, the way we build them and in how we run our businesses.

“As technology progresses we also want see energy management becoming second nature to consumers; our goal is to help them on the journey there by showing them how it can become a seamless addition to their homes.”