Samsung joined hands with the Seoul Metropolitan Government and KEPCO for a pilot project for ‘Resident Demand Response (DR/Demand Response)'. According to the official post, this collaboration is to supply energy-saving solutions to individual households to reduce the consumption of electricity.
The reduced energy consumption is based on the DR issued by the Korea Power Exchange or Seoul Metropolitan Government. Each household participates in the DR service to reduce energy consumption once or twice a week. Successful energy savings of 10% or more of the average usage during the requested time make the household eligible for an incentive of KRW 1,000 (per successful reduction).
Seoul Metropolitan Government is responsible for the selection of the households that take part in the DR service and also provides them incentives upon the completion of the criteria. KEPCO, or Korea Power Exchange Corporation, is responsible for creating real-time energy data collection and also builds a data linkage system for the selected apartments.
The energy consumption can be easily managed using the SmartThings app
The management of energy consumption is made possible by Samsung's SmartThings Energy. It is an energy-related service provided by the SmartThings app. Several Samsung products come with SmartThings integration. There is an AI-saving mode that automatically reduces energy consumption based on different criteria, such as whether the user is using the device, etc.
The AI saving mode is available on Bespoke models of home appliances with Wi-Fi released after 2022. By linking Samsung refrigerators, washing machines, dryers, air conditioners, air purifiers, and dishwashers to SmartThings, the AI Saving mode can reduce energy consumption by up to 60%. SmartThings Energy has won various accolades across the globe, and it recently picked up the Innovation Award at CES 2023, held in Las Vegas, USA, earlier this year.
Not only that, but it also bagged the Energy Star certification from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), which is the first time in the industry. Samsung's partnership with the Seoul Metropolitan Government and KEPCO for a pilot project could help reduce about 480,000kg of carbon dioxide emissions.