UL Issues First ENERGY STAR® Certification for a Smart Home Energy Management System to Baltimore Gas and Electric
March 23, 2022
UL has announced that Baltimore Gas and Electric’s (BGE) Smart Home Solutions is the first product in the market to test and achieve ENERGY STAR® Smart Home Energy Management Systems (SHEMS) Certification from UL. Recognized by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as a SHEMS Certification Body, UL assessed BGE’s Connected Home and Small Business prototype to specifications outlined in the EPA’s ENERGY STAR Smart Home Energy Management Systems certification requirements, which establish required energy-saving smart home features designed to deliver cost savings as well as user convenience.
“Energy savings and environmental concerns among consumers are helping speed the adoption of innovative smart home energy-efficient products to save money and reduce environmental impact,” said Dave Piecuch, manager of UL’s Energy Efficiency group. “We congratulate Baltimore Gas and Electric for their efforts in incorporating energy efficiency into product design to mitigate energy consumption and carbon emissions.”
A package of smart home devices connected to a central service, ENERGY STAR certified SHEMS empower user amenity and energy savings through scheduling, remote device control and automated device control based on occupancy detection. These features limit the needed standby power of connected devices. To be certified as an ENERGY STAR SHEMS, the package must meet minimum service capabilities and device requirements, including an ENERGY STAR certified connected thermostat and connected lighting, plus plug load device(s) and occupancy sensor(s).
As a requirement of certification, BGE provided UL with collected anonymized statistical data from six months of operation from active BGE Connected Home and Small Business installations that summarized system installation information and in-field performance. BGE spearheaded a Connected Home and Small Business Demonstration to assemble the required data, a technology trial in Annapolis, Maryland, that provided connected technologies to 200 residents and small businesses in the city. The information from the demonstration project was used to evaluate the potential impact of these technologies on energy reduction, financial savings and other lifestyle areas like convenience, accessibility and security. The Annapolis demonstration pilot project was part of Connected Communities, a larger initiative in which BGE works with communities and stakeholders to identify areas where the utility can improve quality of life through its infrastructure and services.
“Our ability to find a way to combine innovative smart home products with the capabilities enabled by BGE’s smart grid technology shows that we are focused on meeting our customers’ future energy needs,” said Alexander Núñez, BGE senior vice president of Governmental, Regulatory & External Affairs. “We are proud to align technology and the needs of our customers with our Path to Clean goal to achieve net-zero operational emissions by 2050.”
Learn more about UL’s SHEMS services.
