The smart grid attempts to bring order and compatibility to the billions of proprietary devices enabling power to flow from utilities to commercial and consumer customers. Progress towards standardization is slowly being made, as 16 of potentially hundreds of standards to get equipment to talk a common language have been published. The Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers released a list of recommended guidelines for smart grid standards this week, emphasizing a need for change in rate structures.

The Smart Grid Task Force's recommendations had already been supplied to the National Institute of Standards and Technology, who recently released 16 standards, at the beginning of June. Working under provisions established by the 2007 Energy Independence and Security Act, NIST is coordinating the development of smart grid interoperability standards that will work to integrate home networks to the electrical grid.

In a statement, AHAM expressed concern over a perceived lack of incentives and consumer education in understanding the impact of changes in utility rate structures. Without incentives or support, "consumers may not be inclined to utilize smart products" and without that, smart grid success could be slowed.

As the smart grid is implemented, the rates that customers pay for peak power may increase, while off-peak rates would be heavily discounted to encourage changes in energy use behavior. Without understanding how these rates can save customers money by allowing smart grid equipment to automate power consumption, equipment may linger on store shelves.

While open smart grid standards are the most efficient path to implementation, industry interests still lie in defining how and where proprietary technologies can intersect with the open source smart grid. AHAM concerns reflected this, looking for breathing room for smart appliances to work as two-way communicators that function within in-home networks.

These in-home networks would then communicate with the grid's demand response equipment, allowing proprietary systems to work independently alongside, the smart grid. Smart appliances would also have control over responses to grid messages, such as signals to lower consumption.

Smart appliances should be able to respond not only through consumer control, but also through in-home systems, according to AHAM.

A call for open standards has been echoed in many sectors, suggesting options such as ZigBee or Trilliant -- Cisco (and others members of the GridWise Alliance) recently contacted NIST looking to raise support for IP use in smart grid standards. This effort by AHAM is well timed --just after the Smart Grid Public Workshop ended.

The recent Smart Grid Public Workshop focused on engaging standards development organizations to address priorities for future standards and developing timelines. Though the Obama administration has placed a priority on the nationwide smart grid, there are many technical hurdles yet to be addressed.