“Economy of scope” may be the thing that makes the residential connected grid work. Roy Perry of CableLabs uses this term to describe the idea that, thanks to a common IP infrastructure, multiple services help share the cost of infrastructure. In this video interview, he refers to a white paper he co-authored suggesting that a more efficient way to meet the energy savings of a smart-grid would be to focus on the low-hanging fruit.
As part of his proposal, he believes there needs to be for open APIs to utility back-offices and a cloud-based approach to facilitate the creation of an open market for energy management. Further, he suggests some interesting business models that might develop (think advertising), as ways to pay for some of the costs associated with implementing residential energy management.
For additional reading, please see this article in Screenplays Magazine.
Note, this video was recorded as part of the Parks Associates' Smart Energy Summit.
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