i3 - November/December 2018 - 15

By Leslie King, CTA

Tech

PIPE LINE

The Standard for Energy Management
Connecting Homes to the Smart Grid

Chesky_W/Getty Images

s consumers and homeowners, we are using more electronic devices and appliances, and looking for ways to
conveniently connect those products to our home network. We expect our gadgets to "stay on," but that can also mean
higher energy bills. Being able to determine our energy usage
and adjust usage based on personal needs can help consumers
manage their energy costs.

The smart grid vastly improves our
nation's energy infrastructure by allowing
for instant, real-time information sharing
between an electric utility and its customers. With the right equipment, consumers can monitor and manage their
homes' energy use. This same equipment
also enables the electric utility to digitally
respond to changing electricity demands
or conditions, maximizing network efficiency and minimizing costs for both
utilities and their customers alike.
ANSI/CTA-2045-A, Modular
Communications Interface for Energy
Management, outlines specifications for a
communications interface (known as a
modular communications interface or
MCI) that facilitates communications
between residential devices and the
smart grid for applications such as
energy management. This interface can
pass simple communication through
standard protocols, allowing energy management signals and messages to be
exchanged among devices in a home and
the smart grid system. These devices can
include consumer products such as sensors, thermostats or appliances, as well as
energy-related equipment such as energy
management hubs, energy management
controllers and residential gateways.
As explained by Dr. Kenneth Wacks,
Chair of CTA's Modular Communication
Interface for Energy Management
Committee:
"Utilities worldwide are investing
heavily in smart grid infrastructures to
ensure a reliable supply of electricity
C TA . t e c h / i 3

for power with available supplies.
Consumer devices equipped with
ANSI/CTA-2045-A interfaces can participate in energy management programs such as demand response and
can interconnect with distributed
energy resources including local generators (wind and solar) and energy storage devices."

A Look at One Case

CTA Standards
ANSI/CTA-2045-A, MCI for Energy
Management
ANSI/CTA-2045.1, MCI for Firmware
Transfer Message Set
ANSI/CTA-2045.2, and ANSI/CTA-2045.2,
Amendment 1 MCI for Generic Display
Message Set
ANSI/CTA-2045.3, MCI Interface for
Thermostat Message Set

and to accommodate new technologies
for power production. Smart grid programs are being offered to consumers
for energy conservation, and for
energy management to align demand

Con Edison in New York has made
CTA-2045-compliant modules available to customers buying packaged terminal air conditioners typically found
in hotels, hospitals and apartment
buildings. Under the Con Edison program, the utility can remotely adjust a
customer's thermostat on hot days
when the demand for power is high,
saving both the customer and Con
Edison money. The customer is always
in control, though. Customers are electronically notified when their thermostat has been adjusted by the utility
and the customer can manually override the utility's action. The program is
part of Con Edison's strategy for maintaining reliable service during extreme
weather conditions.
ANSI/CTA-2045-A, revised in March
2018, has several companion standards
for smaller interface designs and device
profiles including message sets for thermostats, firmware transfer and generic
display. Members of CTA's Modular
Communication Interface for Energy
Management Committee have made
efforts to harmonize ANSI/CTA-2045-A
with international standard ISO/IEC
10192-3, Modular Communications
Interface for Energy Management.
CTA's standards committee is considering additional message sets for lighting control and solar inverters. Contact
Leslie King: lking@CTA.tech for information on how to get involved.
NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2018

https://www.cta.tech/

i3 - November/December 2018

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