We have to change the way we look at comfort and conservation ? it's not an either/or situation, states Niraj Bhargava, CEO of Energate. Homeowners are keen to conserve energy but not if it means sacrificing their comfort or losing control. This dynamic will impact the success of demand response (DR) programs. (DR programs are being rolled out across North America to provide a means for consumers to automatically reduce energy use, especially during peak demand periods.)

The Energate team, which showcased its energy management controls and systems at DistribuTECH, January 22-24 in Tampa, believes the key to successful DR deployments will be balancing comfort and convenience with conservation and sharing the control between end users and utilities.

"As we've seen in the recent public response to California's proposed energy regulation (Title 24), consumers don't want to feel like they are losing control within their homes. So although we're seeing a number of successful DR pilots, we have to keep in mind they aren't always good litmus tests for the broader population," said Mr. Bhargava.

"As we move towards mass deployment, we have to consider using innovative energy management technology to help build relationships with homeowners to conveniently balance control and comfort."

Utilities have faced significant change in the past decade, including the introduction of advanced metering infrastructure. Now they are facing yet another change as the business of addressing peak demand moves inside the home: unknown territory for many utilities. As recent studies show, utilities that partner with homeowners stand to be more successful in reducing demand than those utilities that opt to not go beyond the meter.

"The potential impact of demand response is large and significant. Using best available technologies, customers could potentially lower the national peak demand by 22.9 percent," said Ahmad Faruqui, Principal at the Brattle Group and collaborating author of "the Power of Five Percent".

Energate's smart thermostats integrate with advanced metering infrastructures for demand response and load shedding, and include features to allow for changes in rate structures, direct load control, user messaging and overrides.

From a homeowner's perspective, Energate uses plain language, multi- lingual interfaces and context-sensitive help screens to allow consumers to understand and control where energy is being used, at what cost, and how it can be reduced. And once configured, Energate's advanced climate control algorithms ensure comfort is maintained consistently and efficiently.

About Energate
Energate's home energy management platform lets consumers and utilities manage energy use and reduce peak demand without sacrificing comfort and convenience. Building upon over 25 years of HVAC industry experience, Energate smart thermostats offer industry- leading equipment interface technology and comfort control algorithms. Founded in 2004, Energate's corporate offices are in Ottawa, Canada with sales offices in California, USA. Visit www.energate.ca

Thu Feb 07 10:47:00 CST 2008