COP15: Climate-Change Conference

How a smart home will work on a smart grid

1. Plug-in Car
Electric cars will draw a lot of power from the grid — but a smarter system will control when they charge and could use them as mobile batteries

2. Computer
Consumers will be able to use their computers to control their electricity use, telling utilities how much they want to use and when

3. Dishwasher
Smart appliances like dishwashers and air conditioners would run when demand is low

4. Thermostat
Once connected to the smart grid, utilities could remotely control your home's heating and cooling

5. Water Heater
Often one of the top power users in a house, the water heater could be set to respond to price or environmental signals from the grid

6. Battery Pack
Because intermittence is a big problem with solar power, batteries could store green energy for use when the sun isn't shining

7. Utility Hub
Just like a hub of an online network, this is where the utility will process signals to and from its customer base

8. Solar Panel
A smarter grid will make it easier for consumers to generate their own electricity with solar and sell it back to the grid

9. Sensors
Sensors on power lines will allow utilities to monitor service in real time, responding to outages before they cascade out of control