The ZigBee Alliance's Smart Energy profile offers utilities a global open standard for implementing secure, easy-to-use wireless home area networks for managing energy.
In addition, product manufacturers now have a standards-based technology that they can implement to access to a burgeoning marketplace for green products without worrying about interoperability.
Utilities can use the standard in applications such as advanced metering, demand response, load control, pricing, and customer messaging programs.
The standard provides communication and control for devices such as in-home displays, programmable communicating thermostats, water heaters, lighting, smart appliances, plug-in hybrid electric vehicles, plus energy service portals and energy management systems.
For a more detailed list of features, see
zigbee.org/imwp/download.asp?ContentID=12484.
A number of Alliance members are currently building products that will be certified by the Alliance to support ZigBee Smart Energy.
These companies include: Cellnet+Hunt, Ember, Freescale Semiconductor, Itron, Tendril and Texas Instruments, who are ZigBee Alliance Promoter member companies and members of the Board of Directors which is responsible for setting the Alliance's direction in the energy sector.
Some of the other members building ZigBee Smart Energy products include: Alektrona, Computime, Comverge, Control4, Corporate Systems Engineering, Daintree Networks, Digi International, Elster, Energate, Frontline Test Equipment, Golden Power, Greenbox Technology, LS Research, PRI Limited, Radio Thermostat Company of America, Riga Development, Trilliant Networks and Wireless Glue Networks.
