Enel Info+ project: A demo to evaluate the impact of the consciousness on the customer energy consumptions

The development of smart electricity grids represents one of the most important topics in the European energy strategy. Enel Distribuzione designed a high performance, reliable and secure smart grid that will be carried out in the south of Italy and tested under real operating conditions within the Isernia Project, which aims at implementing innovative solutions to optimally regulate the bi-directional energy flow on the Medium Voltage distribution networks while integrating Distributed Energy Resources. In this context, consumers will be involved in “Enel Info+”, a large scale trial of the “Enel smart info” device, that sets out to increase understanding and control of their own usage of energy as a first step towards “Active Demand”: providing electricity consumers with information on their consumption and the ability to actively manage it in line with the network conditions, such that modifications in consumer demand become a viable option for addressing challenges of electricity systems like the increase of efficiency and reliability, infrastructure planning and investments deferral. Most of the times, end users are not really aware of the actual power consumption of their home appliances and how effective it would be to change the way they make use of electricity for their domestic activities towards sustainable lifestyle. Integrating energy monitoring technologies and easy to use interfaces in the consumers´ houses can lead to economic benefits helping them to improve their knowledge and control over their energy use. Enel smart info has been designed to provide end users with the certified information on electricity consumptions managed by the electronic smart meter, addressing more efficient behaviors while enabling further integration of smart home appliances and the