Honeywell Introduces Home Energy Management Software for Utilities to Enhance Grid Stability, Help Homeowners Lower Energy Bills

RALEIGH, N.C., Jan. 31, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Honeywell (NYSE: HON) today announced it will offer its utility customers new intelligent home energy management software to help them maintain electrical grid stability. The software will help homeowners lower their energy costs and provide them with energy efficiency insights so they can see how their behaviors impact their monthly energy bills.

Honeywell is collaborating with Whisker Labs and will incorporate its Connected Savings℠ Intelligent Demand Side Management (IDSM) technology platform into its portfolio of software and services for utilities. The platform enables utilities to manage demand response programs, which shift energy use when demand for electricity is greater than the available supply in order to prevent brownouts and blackouts. Connected Savings also enables a utility to correlate energy usage data from other connected thermostats and Whisker Labs' proprietary weather data to model how a specific home will respond to different weather conditions that impact energy use.

The software works with most Wi-Fi thermostat brands and models, and will work with Honeywell's recently launched Lyric T5 Wi-Fi thermostat by this summer, enabling homeowners to take advantage of programs offered by their local utility to reduce their energy bills while choosing how they manage their comfort.

"Utilities face a wide range of challenges, but they share the common goal of providing reliable and affordable power to their customers while helping them maintain comfort," said Nitin S. Kulkarni, president of Smart Energy, Honeywell Home and Building Technologies. "We know from experience that even small, incremental changes in energy use can yield significant results – from improving grid stability to trimming how much customers spend on their utility bills. Honeywell's work with Whisker Labs reflects our mutual commitment to deliver impactful services and technologies that drive these changes."

Connected Savings supports utility demand response and energy efficiency programs by integrating data from connected devices with its proprietary data to model, manage and optimize home energy usage. This allows utilities to send intelligent instructions directly to a participating homeowner's thermostat to temporarily reduce home energy use when demand threatens grid stability, while maintaining the homeowner's comfort. The platform's communications capabilities also allow utilities to send signals to change thermostat temperatures and scheduling for customers who opt in to energy efficiency programs for increased energy savings.

Other Connected Savings features include:

• Thermodynamic modeling – Connected Savings' proprietary, hyper-local weather data is correlated to thermostat data to create a detailed and precise thermodynamic model for each individual home. With this model, custom real-time instructions are sent to control the thermostat to maximize energy efficiency, optimize demand response and maintain homeowner comfort.
• Scorecards with actionable insights – Using information from the thermodynamic modeling, the platform provides homeowners with scorecards detailing home efficiency down to the equipment level, along with tips for improving efficiency and boosting energy savings.

"By collaborating with Honeywell, Whisker Labs is able to bring our innovative demand side management platform, Connected Savings, to market with a proven leader and innovator," said Robert Marshall, chief executive officer, Whisker Labs. "Together, we will bring our energy intelligence to more utilities and consumers, helping save energy during peak times and anytime that heating and cooling is used, while enabling a more sustainable environment."

The Connected Savings platform complements Honeywell's broad portfolio of hardware, software and services for utilities, which span customer marketing and engagement expertise to advanced metering infrastructure and technology, as well as smart, connected thermostats. Honeywell and Whisker Labs will demonstrate the technology at the DistribuTECH 2017 Conference and Expo Jan. 31-Feb. 2 in San Diego. Homeowners interested in these capabilities should contact their local utility to determine if they are participating in this program.

Honeywell provides complete smart grid and energy management solutions that drive energy efficiency, operational improvements and cost savings for electricity, gas and water utilities, commercial and industrial customers, and consumers. Visit www.honeywellsmartenergy.com for more information.

For additional information on Connected Savings, visit www.connectedsavings.com. Whisker Labs, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Earth Networks, delivers next generation home energy intelligence technology to realize the full potential of the connected home. Whisker Labs' sensing and software platform optimizes connected devices, and brings non-connected devices online for home efficiency, fault detection, and peace of mind. The Connected Savings platform is used by market leaders for enhanced energy efficiency and intelligent demand response. For more information, visit www.whiskerlabs.com

About Honeywell Home and Building Technologies
Honeywell Home and Building Technologies (HBT) is a global business with more than 44,000 employees worldwide. HBT creates products, software and technologies found in more than 150 million homes and 10 million buildings worldwide. We help homeowners stay connected and in control of their comfort, security and energy use. Commercial building owners and occupants use our technologies to ensure their facilities are safe, energy efficient, sustainable and productive. Our advanced metering hardware and software solutions help electricity, gas and water providers supply customers and communities more efficiently.

Honeywell (www.honeywell.com/us/en) is a Fortune 100 diversified technology and manufacturing leader, serving customers worldwide with aerospace products and services; control technologies for buildings, homes and industry; turbochargers; and performance materials. For more news and information on Honeywell, please visit www.honeywell.com/us/en/news.