However, I do wonder if a big part of it is trying to solve a bit of a non-problem. As impressive as the idea of a homeowner controlling their appliances from work is, is there really a benefit? After all, surely it would be better to consistently switch unnecessary equipment off before leaving the house, rather than leaving it on and then (maybe) switching it off remotely…? I, for one, can’t think of a single bit of equipment in my house that I could see myself wanting to turn off remotely – I wouldn’t leave the house for long without turning off the lights, the tv etc. I’m guessing that most people who are aware of their energy consumption would also turn off all unnecessary equipment before leaving the house, but would not want constant things like their refrigerator being turned off ever, remotely or not.

However, this is not to say that domestic demand response of some sort is a bad idea, but it certainly seems a lot more realistic for people to reduce their energy consumption when requested if they are actually in their house at the time.

Also, I have no doubts about the benefits of domestic smart metering. My company develops a software package for energy data analysis, specifically energy interval data. Our experience so far, although only with non-domestic buildings, is that there are huge benefits to be achieved from a simple regular routine of analyzing interval data to look at patterns of energy consumption (finding waste), and to track improvements in energy performance. That may sound a little technical for the average domestic energy user, but the concept certainly isn’t – at the simplest level it’s basically about building an awareness of how much energy you use at different times of the day and on days of the week – that awareness alone can lead to a dramatic cut in an energy bill.