Latest news with #EnergyKit
Forbes
a day ago
- Forbes
iOS 26 Is About To Save You Money On Your Energy Bill
Apple hasn't given the smart home much love on stage at WWDC 2025 this week, but if you dig a little deeper into the dev sessions you'll find a feature that could actually make a dent in your energy bill. Dubbed EnergyKit, it's coming as part of iOS 26, which will arrive later this year. It's all a bit technical right now, but it points toward eventually turning your Apple Home system into a money-saving energy manager for your house. I say system, rather than app, because it sounds as if Apple is going to allow app developers to bake this tech into their own apps, even if those device types aren't currently supported. EnergyKit is a developer framework lets apps tap into Apple's Home energy data, and things like your rate plan and a forecast of when the grid is running cleaner or cheaper, which it will use to shift when your devices draw power. For example, it could allow your EV charger to schedule itself to run when grid rates are low or solar energy is peaking, or have your smart thermostat pre-cool your house before prices spike. If you're hooked up to PG&E (the first and only energy provider supported so far), your Apple Home app can already show this kind of info, but EnergyKit will supercharge things and open it up to developers to build smarter automations on top. Apple says the framework is aimed at residential use, for things like HVAC systems and EV charging. In a video introducing the new tools, we're told that EnergyKit can provide personalized guidance for when to use electricity based on environmental impact and cost. Apple is actually pretty late to the smart energy party, with platforms like SmartThings and Homey pushing energy optimization for a while now; and devices from the likes of Ecobee, Eve and Tado already doing this kind of thing on their own. But this feels like Apple finally putting down a foundation to make its Home app more than just a pretty interface for turning off your lights. The Cupertino tech giant doesn't actually support energy monitoring or EV chargers natively at the moment, but obviously Matter makes this sort of thing easier. If you're a dev, you can read more technical info on EnergyKit over on the Apple Developer website.
Hans India
a day ago
- Hans India
Apple Home Moves Toward Smarter Energy Management with New Developer Tools
While Apple didn't spotlight its smart home ecosystem during this year's WWDC keynote, the company has quietly rolled out promising updates to the Home app—specifically in the realm of energy management. In a recently released developer video, Apple introduced EnergyKit, a new framework launching with iOS 26 and iPadOS 26. Designed for integration with Apple Home, EnergyKit empowers developers to access and utilise energy data to help reduce or shift electricity consumption. The goal? Prioritise the use of cleaner or cheaper energy. For instance, developers can now build smart features that allow an EV charger to schedule charging based on predicted energy prices or let a thermostat dial back its usage during peak pricing hours. Apple refers to this functionality as EnergyKit Guidance, which taps into real-time data like electricity rates and clean energy availability—currently available through the Grid Forecast widget when connected to a utility provider (PG&E is the only one supported so far). This feature expansion means Apple Home could evolve into a Home Energy Management System (HEMS)—a platform capable of monitoring, optimising, and controlling a home's energy consumption. While this vision is still developing, it's already taking root in other ecosystems. Platforms like Samsung SmartThings (with its AI Energy Mode) and Homey by LG are ahead of the curve. Though EnergyKit is designed to route energy data from Apple Home into individual manufacturers' apps, it sets a foundation for future central control directly through the Apple Home app—something that's notably absent today. Currently, Apple Home doesn't support energy monitoring for thermostats or integration with EV chargers. Still, there's reason to believe change is coming. Apple's active role in the Matter smart home standard opens the door for broader device compatibility. Matter has recently added support for key appliances and systems like electric water heaters, heat pumps, solar inverters, and energy storage systems. This greatly increases the chances of future Apple Home integration with energy-intensive devices. As Apple builds the blocks of a more connected and energy-aware smart home experience, EnergyKit represents an important first step. It's a quiet but strategic move that hints at a more sustainable—and more competitive—future for Apple in the smart home space.
The Verge
2 days ago
- Business
- The Verge
Apple Home is expanding its energy management features
Apple's smart home didn't get a single nod during the WWDC keynote, but it turns out there are some interesting developments coming to the Home app around energy management. In a video posted to the Apple developer site this week, the company outlined its new EnergyKit framework, which allows developers to integrate energy data from Apple Home in iOS 26 and iPadOS 26 to reduce or shift the electricity usage of their devices to prioritize cleaner and/or less expensive energy. So, for example, your thermostat can reduce its energy use when prices are higher, and your EV can generate a charging schedule based on forecasted prices to save you money. The Home app can already display your electricity usage and electricity rate, plus the availability of clean energy via the Grid Forecast widget, when connected to your utility provider. (Currently, PG&E is the only supported utility company.) With EnergyKit, developers can use a feature called EnergyKit Guidance that uses these data points to create actions for their devices to reduce or shift energy use. Apple's documentation says EnergyKit is currently designed to work with EV chargers and smart thermostat apps. Today, several individual products offer these features. Ecobee and Google Nest thermostats can shift their energy use based on factors such as clean energy availability and rates, and work with demand response programs, and most EV chargers have apps that can create schedules based on energy data. While EnergyKit is designed to bring data securely from Apple Home into the manufacturer's app, you can see the potential here to one day manage all of these devices and functions from within Apple Home. It could be laying the groundwork for Apple Home to eventually become a home energy management system (HEMS): a system that can monitor, control, and optimize your energy usage. We're already seeing this implemented in smart home platforms like Samsung SmartThings with its AI Energy Mode, Homey (owned by LG), and others. Apple has a lot of catching up to do, as its platform doesn't currently support energy monitoring from connected devices. This could lay the groundwork for Apple Home to eventually become a home energy management system This is likely why EnergyKit is focused on allowing developers to integrate the data from Apple Home into their own apps, as Apple Home doesn't support EV chargers or energy monitoring of thermostats. However, with Apple's deep involvement in the Matter smart home standard, it's possible that support for these devices might come to Apple Home. Matter recently added support for most major appliance types as well as energy-intensive devices like heat pumps and electric water heaters, all of which could now more easily be integrated into Apple Home via Matter. The standard also supports battery energy storage systems and solar power devices such as inverters, panels, and hybrid solar / battery systems. When you connect the dots, it seems that this could be a natural next step for Apple's smart home ambitions.
