Nordic Semiconductor Enhances Watts' Intelligent Energy Management with Smart Energy Solutions
Watts Live: Empowering Homeowners with Real-Time Energy Monitoring
BonChip Electronics, a leading distributor of innovative embedded solutions, is excited to highlight the Watts Live smart energy solution. Developed by the Danish company Watts, Watts Live empowers homeowners with real-time energy consumption data, enabling informed decision-making and potential cost savings.
Simple Installation and Configuration
Watts Live is a retrofittable solution designed for ease of use. The compact card seamlessly integrates with existing electrical smart meters. Installation involves simply mounting the card on the meter within a utility cabinet.
Bluetooth LE Configuration and Wi-Fi Connectivity
Leveraging the power of Nordic Semiconductor's nRF52840 SoC, Watts Live utilizes Bluetooth Low Energy (LE) for configuration through the user's smartphone. The accompanying "Watts Energy Assistant" app guides homeowners through the process, including unlocking the smart meter with a provided security key and connecting to a local Wi-Fi network.
Comprehensive Energy Data at Your Fingertips
Once configured, Watts Live shines:
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Real-Time Energy Consumption Monitoring: The system collects data from the smart meter every five seconds, providing a continuous stream of information about your home's energy usage.
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Detailed Energy Breakdown: The Watts Energy Assistant app empowers you to visualize your energy consumption in various ways, including power purchased from or sold back to the grid, voltage levels, and balance between AC power phases.
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Cost and Carbon Footprint Insights: Beyond raw consumption data, the app translates your energy use into cost (based on your electricity plan) and carbon footprint (considering current carbon intensity in power generation). This valuable information allows you to make informed choices to potentially reduce energy consumption and environmental impact.
Motivation Through Real-Time Feedback
Watts highlights the power of immediate feedback: "Watts Live not only makes it possible to find out which appliances use the most power, it also becomes more motivating to save on electricity because you can see the effect immediately," explains Anders Spur, Director of Product Development at Watts. Studies by Watts indicate that active users of the Watts Energy Assistant app achieve an average of 8% energy consumption reduction, partly attributable to the real-time insights provided by Watts Live.
The Power of Nordic's nRF52840 SoC
The nRF52840 SoC from Nordic Semiconductor plays a critical role in Watts Live's success. This powerful SoC boasts features that perfectly align with the solution's requirements:
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64 MHz Arm Cortex-M4 Processor with Floating-Point Unit (FPU): Provides the processing muscle needed for complex calculations and data manipulation.
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Generous RAM and Flash Memory: Supports a feature-rich application running on the Watts Live card.
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Bluetooth LE Connectivity: Enables convenient configuration via smartphone app.
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Zephyr Real-Time Operating System (RTOS) Support: The nRF52840's support for Zephyr streamlines development and reduces time-to-market. Zephyr's low-power capabilities are ideal for energy-efficient wireless SoCs like the nRF52 Series.
Spur emphasizes the importance of Zephyr support: "The nRF52840 was a very good fit for our project due to...powerful processing...However, the key factor...was the upstream support for Zephyr RTOS. This allowed us to quickly develop application software in the early stages of product development...reducing risk and time-to-market."
Conclusion
Watts Live empowers homeowners with valuable energy consumption data, fostering informed decision-making and promoting potential cost savings and environmental benefits. BonChip Electronics is proud to support innovative solutions like Watts Live and offers a comprehensive selection of embedded system components, including the powerful nRF52840 SoC from Nordic Semiconductor. Contact BonChip Electronics today to learn more about how Watts Live and our extensive product portfolio can empower your next project.
