Schneider Electric, the leader in the digital transformation of energy management and automation, today announced its artificial intelligence-powered feature is now live on the Wiser Home app. Recently recognized as the world’s most sustainable company, Schneider Electric continues to lead in smart home energy management with cutting-edge solutions to support homeowners, homebuilders, and electrical installers.
Schneider’s new feature is a market first, providing AI-optimized energy management of two of the biggest power loads in the home – water heaters and electric vehicle chargers - via a single app, Wiser Home. Wiser Home is Schneider Electric’s home energy management solution that provides energy monitoring, control, and optimization. The new feature, developed entirely in-house by Schneider Electric, optimizes energy bills through automated load management and predictive energy consumption scheduling tailored to users’ lifestyles.
As a predictive algorithm, the AI-powered feature learns from user habit data and preferences, real-time weather forecasts, tariff data, power contract limits and solar production capability to optimize energy saving by shifting two of the biggest power loads in the home. The feature is based on proprietary technology developed entirely in-house by Schneider Electric; all user data is kept and managed by Schneider with no external data transfers so users can rest assured that their data is secure.
Buildings account for 37% of global operational energy and process-related CO2 emissions, with homes accounting for approximately 20% of this. As more people address their home emissions through electrification and New Energy Landscape technology, such solar panels, EV chargers and heat pumps, home energy management systems are more complicated than ever. In addition to this, there is the rise of dynamic tariffs that aim to incentivize off-peak energy consumption as energy prices have increased to record levels. Facing this complicated reality, Schneider’s new AI-powered solution addresses the mental burden homeowners have when aiming to optimize their energy use and reduce their energy bills.
The feature can determine and anticipate the cost-effective periods to power your EV charger or heat your water tank thanks to its weather forecasting and dynamic tariff capabilities. It can align EV charging and water heating with cost-effective periods while considering daily needs, for example travel times and distances or the daily number of showers for family members, to make sure your EV and hot water is ready to go when it is needed.
Homeowners can control how the AI feature is deployed in their home. Schedules and forecasts can be easily adjusted to either pause to avoid wasted energy consumption during vacations for example, or the scheduled consumption can be overridden to immediately begin EV charging or water heating.
The new feature particularly benefits households with solar panels. The AI algorithm learns from solar energy production and utilizes weather data to estimate solar production availability and takes this into account when planning how to shift loads throughout the day, including which loads run whilst energy is being produced.
In lab testing of this AI solution carried out by Schneider, homeowners with solar panels saw predicted annual savings of between €400-500, and homes without solar panels saw savings between €100-150. This simulation was based on French market data, considering two loads - EV charger and water heater - and two sources – grid and solar. Actual savings may differ from estimated savings depending on home installation and energy provider.
Michael Lotfy Gierges, Executive Vice President, Home & Distribution Division, Schneider Electric, commented: “With record energy costs and record temperatures, homeowners are looking for tools and technology that can help them better manage their energy consumption and cut their energy bills. Artificial intelligence provides an entirely new level of optimization that can empower homeowners to be more efficient and save money, without compromising on comfort.”
Mr. Gierges added: “Here at Schneider Electric, we are proud to be at the forefront of developing innovative solutions that help drive efficiency and electrification, always with the guiding principle of working towards a more sustainable future. Our new AI feature is a prime example of this and addresses a real consumer need to simplify optimized management of their household energy consumption.”
This new feature is available to Wiser Home users in Spain, Portugal, France, Germany, and Austria who have the Wiser Hub, Schneider Electric PowerTag energy sensors, a Schneider EV charger (EV Link Home Smart, Schneider Charge or EV Socket) and Power micromodule (water heater controller) installed. Schneider Electric will continue to invest in this technology, launching it as a premium feature next year covering larger loads in the home to help home energy use be as efficient as possible.
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