​Description

Nearly two-thirds of adults in the United States now own some type of smart phone. These smart phone owners use software applications, commonly known as “apps,” on their smart phones and tablets for daily tasks like shopping, reading the news, making hotel and restaurant reservations, and playing games. Now, energy use apps are becoming available from lighting, appliance, and thermostat manufacturers; home security providers; third-parties; and utilities. This TechSurveillance article reviews current energy apps on the market, and the benefits they can offer to consumers and cooperatives.

Value to Electric Cooperatives

Energy apps can help customers learn about their energy consumption, manage their homes in new ways, and ultimately, offer users more control over their bills. Better customer engagement, combined with growing public awareness about the costs and environmental impacts of energy consumption, suggests that energy use apps can provide an effective, consumer-centric approach to residential energy management. Cooperatives need to take special efforts to ensure that apps created or used meet standard security practices.

Audience

Engineering, Operations, IT, Membership Services