EMAIL INTERVIEW – Barry Haaser and Ken Sinclair

Barry Haaser, Managing Director, OpenADR Alliance

Sinclair:  Tell us about new developments within the OpenADR Alliance and its members?

Haaser:  The OpenADR Alliance recently achieved a significant milestone when we certified our 50th product conforming to the 2.0a and 2.0b Profile Specifications. There continues to be an increasing availability of OpenADR 2.0 certified products, which is a clear indicator of how effectively the OpenADR standard addresses the market need for demand response programs.

Some of the companies offering OpenADR certified products in North America include: Daintree, Ecobee, EnergyHub, EnerNOC, Enlightened, Honeywell, IC Systems, IPKeys, Johnson Controls, Pelican Wireless, Powerit, Regen Energy, THG Energy, Universal Devices, and Wireless Glue.

Sinclair:  I recently saw an announcement from your member: Universal Devices Integrates Real Time Weather with OpenADR and Home Automation Platform. Why is this announcement important to the industry?

Haaser:  Universal Devices announced the general availability of its enhanced weather reporting and forecast module, which provides flexibility and cost savings. Weather forecasts are a valuable tool for load reduction initiatives. By providing weather information to OpenADR2.0 certified devices, customers can make informed decisions about whether to opt in or out of a demand response event or to pre-cool their premises in advance of the event.

[an error occurred while processing this directive]Sinclair:  Are you seeing growth in other markets outside of North America?

Haaser:  Yes there is a lot of activity at the international level.  The International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) continues to increase global visibility of the OpenADR standard now that OpenADR 2.0b Profile Specification has been released as a Publicly Available Specification (PAS) IEC/PAS 62746-10-1. Additional work is underway within the IEC to address compatibility with the Common Information Model (CIM). The OpenADR 2.0a and 2.0b Profile Specifications have also been added to the SGIP Catalog of Standards, a valuable resource for utilities, manufacturers, regulators, consumers, and other Smart Grid stakeholders seeking acceptable industry standards.

Several projects are underway in Japan, Korea, China, Taiwan and France to evaluate OpenADR effectiveness in each country. Of the 4,000 people that have downloaded our profile specifications, half are located outside of the US. There is so much interest emerging in Europe that we just formed a European Special Interest Group (EUSIG), which will help us increase awareness and support for the OpenADR 2.0 profiles in Europe.