Electric Ireland and Accenture Announce Smarter Living Collaboration

Electric Ireland has collaborated with Accenture to develop and deliver a pilot program that will introduce new Connected Home solutions to its customers.

The latest phase in a series of trials on Smart Controls for Connected Homes, this initiative will see 600 Electric Ireland Smarter Living Panel members trial the latest technology available for real-time, intelligent control of energy usage in residential homes. Working with the global Accenture Internet of Things practice, the trial will use Accenture Connected Platforms as a Service (CPaaS) to enable remote and automated control of multiple smart devices for homes and businesses.

All 600 members will receive a number of smart plugs and a monitor to measure electricity consumption installed in their homes. In order to remotely monitor and control their electricity usage, users can also access mobile and web-based applications that will also help to promote energy efficiency and savings for Electric Ireland customers. Electric Ireland and Accenture are the first to be trialling Connected Home solutions with Irish customers, starting with energy appliances before extending to other areas such as smoke detectors and carbon monoxide alarms to bring comfort and convenience to customers in next phases of this trial.

Paul Stapleton, General Manager, Electric Ireland said, “This collaboration with Accenture is part of our mission to lead the market in the introduction of innovative technologies. With this latest technology, customers will be able to not only control the supply to certain appliances remotely but also monitor their usage through real time data ensuring convenient and efficient use of energy in the home. We have started rolling this out with the Electric Ireland Smarter Living Panel, who are a valuable resource to us when it comes to understanding and meeting customers wants and needs.”

Alastair Blair, Country Managing Director for Accenture in Ireland said, “This exciting new initiative with Electric Ireland and its Smarter Living Panel trial will deliver innovative new services to Irish energy consumers, including real-time energy consumption feedback and remote control of different devices in the home. Our joint Internet of Things project highlights the critical role of digital technology in improving our energy efficiency, and offers Irish consumers the future of managing and controlling their own energy consumption.”

Electric Ireland has invested over €1.5 million to date in the Smarter Living Panel program, and participants have received new technology installed in their homes to give them smarter control of their energy consumption. The program creates an innovative customer feedback platform that helps Electric Ireland to understand the changing needs and requirements of Irish energy consumers.

The Electric Ireland Smarter Living Panel has been testing heating controls such as Climote, Nest and Honeywell along with other smart devices since January 2015. This collaboration with Accenture is the latest phase in a multi–faceted customer feedback platform project at Electric Ireland, and will see further emerging technologies introduced over the coming months.