Jul 9 2015
Emerson and WeatherBug® are partnering to leverage big weather data and the Internet of Things to help consumers stay comfortable, save money and conserve energy – no matter the weather.
Consumers in Texas using the Sensi™ Wi-Fi Programmable Thermostat from Emerson can now take advantage of WeatherBug Home – a software upgrade that optimizes connected thermostats based on the latest weather conditions – at no additional cost.
“At Emerson, we’re dedicated to helping consumers improve their lives using the latest advancements related to home thermostat technology,” says Guy Medaris, Vice President of Sales and Marketing at Emerson. “By partnering with WeatherBug Home, we’re giving our customers the opportunity to easily and conveniently optimize their Sensi Wi-Fi Programmable Thermostats to stay comfortable and save money on their energy bills – while also helping reduce peak load.”
On average, the weather influences approximately 50 percent of a home’s energy use. By integrating WeatherBug Home’s real-time, hyper-local data and patent-pending algorithms, consumers can have their Emerson Sensi Thermostats optimized for the weather to maximize their comfort and savings. While WeatherBug Home saves consumers money – an average of $75 each year – it also helps local energy utilities boost efficiency and stability, better allocate resources, and keep the power on during peak demand times.
WeatherBug Home combines real-time weather data with a home’s energy usage information from Wi-Fi thermostats to create a custom thermodynamic profile of each home and automatically optimize thermostat settings. Connected thermostat pilot programs in Texas and Massachusetts consistently demonstrated an accurate, automatic 4 percent savings of whole home energy efficiency, or 8 percent of their HVAC costs, totaling $75 to $100 per year.
During peak energy demand times, WeatherBug Home utilizes each home’s unique thermodynamic model to help balance overall grid demand and keep power flowing by raising temperatures modestly while keeping the customer as comfortable as possible. For utilities, the Emerson-WeatherBug Home partnership offers a consumer-friendly approach to reduce peak load and smooth out demand, while also providing an innovative customer engagement tool.
The partnership between WeatherBug Home and Emerson also makes valuable information available to consumers. Every month, consumers in the program receive a free Home Energy Insight ScoreCard that helps explain why their house “behaves” the way it does in relation to the weather, and reveals the biggest drains on energy use compared to similar homes in the same climate zone. Homeowners also receive forecasted energy usage for the next month, plus an energy efficiency audit with customized tips for savings.
Additionally, the Home Energy Meter in the popular WeatherBug app shows how hard a home’s HVAC system would need to work to keep consumers comfortable. Set your temperature by simply sliding the thermostat temperature bar to display projected monthly HVAC costs, energy use, and your home’s carbon footprint.
“Weather plays a critical role when it comes to energy use – and now thanks to the proliferation of connected thermostats and the availability of real-time, hyper-local weather data from the WeatherBug network, it’s possible to understand the temperature inside your home as much as the weather outside your door,” said Amena Ali, senior vice president and general manager, WeatherBug Home. “WeatherBug Home intelligently adjusts your thermostat to keep you comfortable and optimize your energy use.”