IBM and Cisco revealed that they are teaming on a pilot to help the Dutch utility Nuon and the city of Amsterdam make smarter use of energy by enabling consumers to make more informed decisions about their energy consumption. The pilot program is part of the Amsterdam Smart City initiative, in which citizens, governments and companies are working together to make more efficient use of energy, water and mobility to create a more sustainable city.

The consortium will jointly implement an energy management system based on smart metering and home energy management technology, which will enable 500 selected households to gain better insight into their energy consumption. It is anticipated that as a result of the pilot, customers will be able to save on energy costs and realise a CO2 reduction of at least 14 percent.

Smart meters and home energy management systems will be installed in the 500 households that participate in the pilot. Within this consortium, Nuon and IBM will develop the applications for the energy management system, making use of intelligent IT systems and well-protected web technology. Cisco will be responsible for the IP-based home energy management solutions that help enable real-time, highly secure connectivity between household appliances and the energy system, resulting in substantial efficiencies.

The energy management pilot in Amsterdam has had the help of several program partners housing corporations; Far West and Ymere, Amsterdamse Innovatie Motor, Home Automation Europe, ROC Amsterdam, the University of Amsterdam and Grid Operator Liander. The pilot is co-funded by the European Fund for Regional Development.