What is the Digital Energy Transition and why is it important?

4. Digital Technologies

Everyday digital technologies that you might use include smartphones and other internet enabled devices, such as your laptop or PC. Digital technologies can also include watches, home appliances or cars that are connected to communications networks to provide a range of digital services and applications. This is called the Internet of Things (IoT).

The IoT refers to devices that can transfer data to one another without human intervention and that can provide services such as personal healthcare, smart electricity grids, surveillance, home automation and intelligent transport.

Think about the smart devices you use at home, or that you have seen others use. Many of these appliances have digital capabilities which enable us to better understand how and when we use energy. For example, you may have a smart or digital meter that monitors your electricity usage and sends updates to your electricity supplier.

You might also use apps on your smartphone to:

• Monitor the temperature of different rooms in your house and turn the heating on or off, in different areas of the house, if the temperature changes.
• Control lights (smart bulbs) in your home.
• Charge your electric car at a time that works best for you.

These types of smart devices can enable you to better understand, monitor and reduce your energy consumption. Data on how we use and consume energy can also be of benefit to companies and governments by providing real time insights. These can be used to inform policy or to optimise the energy infrastructure. Other types of digital technologies such as artificial intelligence can also be used by businesses to better understand and support efficient energy production and consumption.