A “smart plug” can provide information about electricity consumption patterns, standby power blocking, and remote control functionality by connecting with existing plugs of home appliances, thereby helping the user conserve electricity better.(image: Kobizmedia/Korea Bizwire)
SEOUL, Aug. 25 (Korea Bizwire) – The Ministry of Trade, Industry, and Energy said on August 22 that it would hold a workshop on standardization of ICT-based smart plug, smart appliance interoperability for the first program year (December 2013 – September 2014).
A “smart plug” can provide information about electricity consumption patterns, standby power blocking, and remote control functionality by connecting with existing plugs of home appliances, thereby helping the user conserve electricity better.
Up until now, the technology has had difficulty being widely available due to lack of compatibility. In order to address this problem, the ministry, jointly with the Telecommunications Technology Association, has established industry standards last month and created a test certification system related to interoperability. The ministry expects smart plug compatibility would soon emerge across different manufacturers.
At the workshop, the participants will share information on the standardization efforts for smart appliances currently underway by Samsung and LG Electronics. In addition, sessions to be presented by Dawon D&S, Ohkyung Computer Technology, and EcoSense on their smart appliance products including the Power Manager, OK Plug, and Smart Meter will be prepared.
A ministry official said, “In the future, our ministry will guide the industry in ways to make the smart plug friendly to users by improving its user experience. In addition we will help the industry participants develop web servers that are linked with cloud-based intelligent demand response systems.”
By Sean Chung (schung10@koreabizwire.com)
