Energy management is emerging as a key advantage of smart home technology, with an increasing number of companies offering convenient ways to monitor and control energy usage through mobile apps. Now, Swedish furniture giant Ikea is taking a step further by introducing intelligent features to automate energy savings for users of its smart home platform, Home Smart.
This week, Ikea launched its Energy Insights feature, designed to monitor household energy consumption. Additionally, the company announced the upcoming release of its first energy-monitoring smart plug, named the Inspelning, scheduled to debut in October.
The Inspelning smart plug, compatible with Ikea’s Dirigera smart hub, boasts the capability to monitor energy usage for any connected device. Unlike Ikea’s existing smart plugs, such as the Tradfri (global) and Tretakt (EU/UK only), the Inspelning offers energy monitoring functionality, providing users with valuable insights into their energy consumption habits.
Although the Energy Insights feature is currently available only in Sweden as part of a pilot project, Ikea plans to leverage insights gathered from this trial to explore opportunities for broader implementation in other markets. Energy Insights offers real-time data on energy consumption and electricity spot prices, enabling users to compare their usage with similar households and adjust their energy-intensive appliance usage accordingly to save money and reduce energy consumption.
In the future, Ikea intends to enhance Energy Insights by incorporating actionable energy-saving tips and personalized recommendations for Ikea products and services aimed at reducing energy consumption.
David Granath, Range Manager at Ikea of Sweden, highlighted the significance of Energy Insights as part of the company’s strategic initiative to explore smart energy solutions. Granath emphasized Ikea’s commitment to supporting customers in energy savings and informed electricity usage decisions. He noted that Ikea plans to further enhance its app and expand its range of smart products dedicated to managing energy costs and consumption within smart homes.
Granath also clarified that Energy Insights can function independently of energy-monitoring smart devices, providing users with general energy usage information and comparisons based on household details. Additionally, users can opt to integrate data from their smart meters for more comprehensive insights.
Earlier this year, Ikea introduced beta support for Matter, a new smart home standard aimed at enhancing interoperability between connected devices. With Matter recently incorporating energy monitoring capabilities into its specification, Ikea’s Inspelning smart plug is poised to connect to other Matter ecosystems via the Dirigera hub, facilitating seamless data sharing.
While current smart home platforms do not offer energy monitoring through Matter, the industry anticipates a surge in such features, coupled with increased support for energy management across smart homes. The integration of energy monitoring with automated, intelligent energy management holds immense potential to drive energy efficiency and cost savings for consumers.