The collaboration will focus on utilities and electricity providers in Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA). Echelon said that the collaboration will provide a complete solution to extend the smart grid into homes.
Echelon has unveiled new products and a series of enhancements to its NES system. The newest generation of Echelon’s smart meters includes a multipurpose-expansion port (MEP) interface that can enable communication with Eaton’s home automation product line over a wireless radio frequency (RF) connection.
As a result, actual energy consumption can be presented in concise terms. The end user will be able to regulate consumption in real time and see a clear record of energy use. The MEP port can also enable utilities and electricity suppliers to communicate with homes to enable demand response applications to help reduce peak loads.
Ken Oshman, chairman and CEO of Echelon, said: “We are excited to partner with Eaton to enable them to offer a complete energy management solution that adds intelligence to the grid and extends it into the home. This collaboration exemplifies the flexibility of the NES System, and the innovation of companies like Eaton, who are making a difference in reducing energy consumption worldwide.”
The NES advanced metering infrastructure consists of a family of integrated and advanced electronic electricity meters accessed via a web services based network operating system over an IP networking infrastructure. The NES system provides utilities with information about the status, operation and health of the grid that enables them to reduce operating costs while increasing service quality.
