July 5, 2023 – The Consortium for Energy Efficiency’s annual Integrated Home Competition aims to highlight outstanding “connected, fuel-neutral, interactive, and efficient home” solutions, where devices and systems “effectively communicate to provide new customer, utility system, and societal value”.

No untested research or pilot projects here! Entries must be commercially available solutions that are “simple, reliable, well-designed, and highly functional”.

Furthermore, the competition provides a platform for distinguishing innovation in the realm of “integrated demand-side management objectives”, which includes traditional energy savings.

2022 honorees

The judges selected 17 connected home devices that demonstrate the four tenets of the CEE Integrated Home Initiative: energy savings, demand flexibility, consumer amenity, and security.

Entries seeing awards included residential connected lighting, heating and cooling, thermostats, water heating, window attachments, electric vehicle supply equipment, and an open category for other connected home devices.

Congratulations to the following honorees in the Electrical sector:

WINNER
Enel X Way JuiceBox 48 EV supply equipment. Judges’ remarks: “JuiceBox offers strong utility partnerships and demand response capabilities”.

Swidget smart controls. Judges’ remarks: “Swidget Smart Controls are highly customizable and provide energy use insights to consumers through the app”.

HONOURABLE MENTION
Hunter Douglas Duette honeycomb shades. Judges’ remarks: “The ability to connect to [these shades] without a hub is a step forward in simplicity and useability.”

Orro One and Orro S intelligent light switches. Judges remarks: “Both the Orro One and Orro S offer many capabilities, including motion/sound sensing baked in to reduce energy use”.

Wallbox Pulsar Plus EV supply equipment.

SPECIAL RECOGNITION
Hilo Services Inc. smart home solution. Judges’ remarks: “The user interface for both consumers and utilities is clean, modern, and easy to use. Hydro-Quebec consumers can save money by participating in winter peak challenges”.

Acuity Brands Juno smart downlight series. Judges’ remarks: “These downlights had good light quality and are affordable for consumers looking to start their smart home journey or expand across several rooms in their home”.

The Integrated Home Competition is organized by the Air-Conditioning, Heating, and Refrigeration Institute (AHRI), American Lighting Association (ALA), the Consortium for Energy Efficiency (CEE), and UL Solutions. Also, it is sponsored by over 30 energy efficiency utilities, trade associations, and research entities across the United States and Canada.

2023 competition entries have already been submitted, spanning residential electric and natural gas equipment. Eligible products include whole-home energy management solutions, heating and cooling equipment, thermostats, water heaters, pool pumps, plug load controls, window attachments, lighting and lighting controls, ceiling fans, electric vehicle supply equipment, home appliances, and other connected home devices that “successfully deliver a positive consumer experience and provide load management capabilities”.

This year’s winners will be announced in the fall. Learn more at integratedhome.org.

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