You may have heard that homeowners can use generous home energy improvement tax incentives and rebates to install solar panels or insulate their homes. Such projects often pay for themselves within a few months or years, and buyers often highly value these home features. Less well-known is the use of Home Energy Management Systems (HEMS), a relatively new technology that is quickly catching on in some areas of the country.
As the U.S. relies more on electricity and less on fossil fuels like oil or gas, the fragility of electricity grids has become more apparent. For example, the 2021 Texas deep freeze overtaxed the state-run grid, causing a blackout for 4.5 million customers and 57 deaths. Such extreme weather, inflation, geopolitical unrest and demand growth have contributed to a 30% rise in electricity prices since 2021, according to the Consumer Price Index.
