Inevitably, to live up to the promise of the smart grid, the tens of millions of installed smart meters will need to be integrated with homes and their home area networks (HAN).

A company with thousands of active HAN installations worldwide, Embedded Automation says it is leading the innovation of HAN management systems by connecting homes to the smart grid and also to the data cloud. Embedded Automation, through its line of mHome products, provides a platform that can be installed by utilities or related partners as a low-cost, secure, in-premise device as a value-added enhancement to the smart meter. Alternatively, mHome technology could also be used as components for existing partner solutions.

In addition to helping utilities develop programs to reduce energy usage, the mHome platform provides a mechanism to collect information on granular usage (appliances, outlets) and transfer the data to a cloud-based data aggregation system. The data can then be analyzed and/or shared to gain additional operational insight – benefitting the utility and their consumers.

Embedded Automation estimates its mHome platform can help reduce energy usage by a minimum of 10% at each participating residence by providing valuable usage feedback, consumer-based recommendations and demand management.

While Embedded Automation is currently marketing HAN management solutions directly to consumers, the company intends to expand its reach through technology licensing with OEM partners or installers which would embed the technology within HAN nodes (e.g., metering systems, intelligent devices) and with utility-related partners which would provide an in-premise complement to their smart meter install.