IBM and Cisco are teaming up to help the city of Amsterdam and the Dutch utility Nuon make smarter use of energy.

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 program aims to help 500 selected households gain insights into their energy consumption and change their usage behaviour through a new energy management system based on smart metering and home energy management technology. The pilot is expected to both reduce consumers’ energy costs and cut their carbon dioxide emissions by at least 14 per cent.

Together, Nuon and IBM plan to develop applications for the energy management system, making use of intelligent IT systems and well-protected Web technology. Cisco will be responsible for the IP (Internet Protocol)-based home energy management systems to enable real-time, highly secure connectivity between household appliances and the energy system.

Through this project, IBM and Cisco aim to demonstrate how intelligence throughout the electrical grid can dramatically reduce outages and faults, improve responsiveness, handle current and future demand, increase efficiency and manage costs.

“Now that more than half of the global population lives in cities, we need to acknowledge that achieving a sustainable future lies in our urban centers,” said Guido Bartels, general manager of IBM’s Global Energy & Utilities industry. “Smarter energy initiatives are foundational for other critical infrastructure systems that make up a city.”

“Giving the citizens of Amsterdam more information and better control over their energy use will cut down on costs and consumption as well as reduce their overall impact on the environment,” added Marthin de Beer, senior vice president of Cisco’s Emerging Technologies Group. “Innovative cities like Amsterdam recognize the opportunity in using the standards-based intelligent communications network as a platform for economic development, better city management and improved quality of life for citizens. With this pilot, we hope to demonstrate how smart and connected communities can be more energy conscious and more green.”

The Amsterdam pilot is being co-funded by the European Fund for Regional Development.

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