IoT: energy saver or power drain?

by Mark Adams, CUI Inc. - Embedded.com, Jan. 09, 2015 – 

While there are many people who question the media hype about the Internet of Things (IoT), what it is and how how significant it will be, most industry insiders agree that this nebulous "thing" has become a reality with potential for enormous growth.

Even the lay public has some appreciation for this, having witnessed the growth in Internet connectivity through the evolution in personal computing from laptops, through smartphones, tablets and smart TVs to wearable devices. Certainly Business Insider believes this market will be huge - its 2014 report cites a forecast increase in the number of Internet connections from 1.9 billion devices today to 9 billion by 2018.

So what's driving this growth? Well key to its description, the Internet of Things is about the connectivity of 'Things', not people. This means it is all about how data from remote sensors and the ever-increasing number of intelligent devices in our world today can be acquired and used to provide autonomous control in a smarter, more efficient way.

Arguably some of the applications embraced by the IoT have been around for some time e.g. factory automation with machine-to-machine (M2M) networks that not only ensure a smooth manufacturing flow but also provide back-office data on production rates to facilitate more effective supply chain management.

Other IoT applications include smart metering for electricity, gas and water and even waste management systems, all of which have an environmental agenda. Building management is another example often quoted where sensors monitoring temperature, humidity, ambient light and occupancy can be used to control heating, lighting, air-conditioning, and the operation of doors and windows, etc. While this may make the workplace more comfortable and secure the overriding motivation in installing such systems is to deliver energy savings and hence cost savings.

But opinion seems divided over whether the IoT will deliver improved energy efficiency overall. Taken individually there are applications where there is an undeniable energy saving benefit. However there is the fear that collectively the growth in connected 'Things' that all consume power could negate many of the efficiency gains, especially devices that unnecessarily waste power as a consequence of their own inefficiencies.

Championing the former viewpoint is the publication FutureStructure with its belief that the Internet of Things will thrive on energy efficiency. It highlights the advantages of smart thermostats such as the nest product from Google or a similar device from German company tado that, by being connected to the Internet, allow users to manage their domestic heating requirements via their smartphones.

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