08/31/21 Emporia App Update 📱 TOU, Peak Demand, Excess Gen

Emporia App Update

Emporia App Version 3.0 is available today in the App Store and Google Play! Here are all the new features in this release:

Smart Home Energy Management

This release is all about the Emporia Smart Home Energy Management System, which helps reduce your overall energy demand by identifying and managing wasted energy and providing control over how energy is used throughout the day. This system consists of Emporia Vue Energy Monitors; Emporia Smart Plugs; Emporia EV Chargers; the upcoming Emporia Home Battery Systems; and integrated 3rd-party smart devices like thermostats from Emerson, Ecobee, and Honeywell, with more smart appliances being added soon. The Emporia App can automate these connected devices based on how much energy is being used in the home; how much that energy costs; and whether the system is generating excess energy. Check it out by tapping the Energy Management icon in the bottom nav of the App. Here are the details:

Time-of-Use Management

Many energy utilities charge different rates during different hours of day – charging higher rates during times of higher demand to ease the strain on the grid (usually when people get home from work in the afternoon/evening). The Emporia App can automatically limit smart device energy consumption during the utility’s peak hours – turning off Smart Plugs and stopping EV Charging. To take advantage of this feature, set your Utility Rate under Menu > Household Info > Set Utility Rate and then enable TOU automation for your connected devices under Energy Management > Time-of-Use Management

Peak Demand Management

Some electric companies charge premiums for setting or exceeding peak demand, while some homeowners simply want to keep their consumption under a certain threshold. With the Emporia Vue, once a Peak Demand Goal and the priority of integrated smart devices is set in the app, Emporia takes care of the rest – automatically adjusting energy usage to meet this goal – turning off Smart Plugs and reducing or stopping EV Charging. To take advantage of this feature, enable Peak Demand automation under Energy Management > Peak Demand Management

Excess Generation Optimization

For homes that generate solar or other renewable energy, the Vue can adjust smart devices to automatically consume excess generation. If a device is turned off, Emporia will activate it to consume excess generation. The priority of smart devices can be ordered in the app, then these devices will be turned on or their load will be increased in priority order until the generation is optimally consumed – turning on Smart Plugs and turning on or increasing EV Charging. To take advantage of this feature, enable Excess Generation automation under Energy Management > Optimize Excess Generation

Offline Device Monitoring

The Emporia App now tracks the status of your Emporia products in real-time. If your Vue, Smart Plug, or EV Charger loses its connection with the Emporia Cloud, it will be denoted throughout the app with an offline status symbol. This is automatically available in the app. Additionally, you can opt into offline alerts to receive a push notification when your Emporia products go offline by enabling it under Menu > Notifications > Emporia Offline.