Energy management in and around a home can be optimized by coordinating the use of heat pumps, charging electric cars, home batteries and solar panels. In this way, households save costs and contribute to sustainable electricity use within the limits of the power grid. In order to be able to make full use of the potential of these appliances, a number of things still need to be arranged. This is the outcome of the study ‘Opportunities for energy management in the home’.
Energy management in and around homes is receiving more and more attention due to the increasing electrification, in particular by electric cars, (hybrid) heat pumps, solar energy and probably soon also home batteries. These developments will lead to more electricity consumption and capacity utilisation of the existing power grid. This offers challenges, but also opportunities due to the energy management in and around the home smartly and flexibly.
Researchers Arjan Wargers (ElaadNL) and Adriaan van Eck (FAN) spoke to about twenty experts for their research. Their main conclusion is: there are great opportunities for energy management in and around the home. They also note that much still needs to be done to take advantage of these opportunities. This requires progress in three areas…
Flexible energy management action plan needed
1. Firstly, it is important that consumers become more aware of the opportunities that lie ahead and what they need to do to seize them.
2. Secondly, the integration between players in the energy system must be improved. For example, there must be incentives that reward the flexibility in power demand that arises in this way. The various devices must also be able to be controlled by parties in the energy system such as energy suppliers.
3. Thirdly, good technical standards are also important. For example, a Home Energy Management System (HEMS) must be able to function properly and the costs of hems must be limited. That is why devices (charging points, electric cars, solar panels, heat pumps, etc.) from different suppliers must speak the same “language”.
Despite the fact that every manufacturer is working on this, many devices do not yet speak the same language. In order to meet these technical and organisational challenges, the researchers call for an action plan ‘Flexible energy management in and around the home’.
Growing importance of energy management
FAN and ElaadNL expect that the importance of energy management in and around the home will only increase in the coming years. Rising electricity costs and fluctuations in these energy prices, the emergence of dynamic electricity contracts, the expected phasing out of the netting scheme and changing network tariffs, make the management of electricity supply and demand in and around the home more important. Energy management can help with this. On the one hand, to keep the cost increase for consumers within limits. On the other hand, by keeping the energy system in balance by reducing demand peaks and dampening surpluses and shortages in wind and solar farms by adjusting demand more to production.
You can download the complete report ‘Energy Management Opportunities for the home’ here
About Flexible Power Alliance Network (FAN)
Flexiblepower Alliance Network (FAN), founded in 2013, sees energy flexibility as an indispensable step in the energy transition. FAN wants to contribute to an open, fair and sustainable energy system, in which surpluses in supply and demand of sustainable energy can be compensated for by means of energy flexibility by means of open standards. In addition to the 3three large regional grid operators, FAN counts various innovative market parties from the energy sector among its members.
About ElaadNL
ElaadNL is the knowledge and innovation centre on the smart and sustainable charging of electric vehicles. ElaadNL is an initiative of the joint Dutch grid operators.
