2015.01.27
SMA Certification of Hikari BOX Plus
-- Use of Hikari BOX Plus for Outreach of Smart Meters --
Nippon Telegraph and Telephone West Corporation (Head office: Osaka-shi, Osaka; President: Kazutoshi Murao, hereinafter, NTT West) and NTT Comware Corporation (Head office: Minato-ku, Tokyo; President: Shinobu Umino, hereinafter, NTT Comware) jointly promote the ICT-based energy management system, NTT Westfs Hikari BOX Plus*1 (HB-1000 "2"/information appliance) (hereinafter, Hikari BOX Plus) equipped with the home electric appliance controller functions*2 in conformity with ECHONET Lite standards*3. Along with this service, the companies have obtained the ECHONET Lite Application Certification (hereinafter, SMA Certification*4) for the application between smart energy meter*5 (hereinafter, smart meter) and HEMS controllers used for the communication between smart meters and Hikari BOX Plus (B Route*6).
*1: Hikari BOX Plus
This product requires broadband connection of Flets Hikari and contract/payment for the service to its IT service provider and router and such devices. This product requires HDMI televisions. See NTT West website for further information.
*2: HIKARI Box Plus for consumer use is not available for the home electric appliance controller functions of ECHONET Lite.
*3: ECHONET Lite Standard
This is a telecommunications standard for home networking, which is developed by ECHONET Consortium. The standard applies to the control functions of more than 80 types of equipment including home electric appliances, smart energy meter and solar power generation. The standard is certified as "a publicly known standard interfaceh by "Smart House Standards Study Grouph for smart community and alliance policies in 2011.
*4: SMA Certification
This is the compliance certification given by a third party certification organization for prototype testing conducted in accordance with the specification of the application networking interface between smart meter/HEMS controller.
*5: Smart Meter
A smart meter is a next generation electronic device that digitally records consumption of electric energy.
*6: B Route
This is the telecommunication method between smart meters and HEMS controllers.
Given the energy crisis after the Great East Japan Earthquake, the energy management became a social issue to consider how to use it in an efficient and smart manner. Given the background that the Energy Saving Act has been revised in Japan in April 2014 for standardization of electric energy use, the ten major electric companies in Japan decided to introduce smart meters to use. This equipment enables the users and provider to record the power consumption on a daily basis. The companies currently promote the scheme to have all the customers to use smart meters.
Under the circumstances, NTT West and NTT Comware have been considering the telecommunication route (B Route) connecting smart meters and devices in a building or house such as the HEMS controller with using Hikari BOX Plus, the home electric appliance controller applied to the ECHONET Lite aiming for obtaining SMA certification.
2. Outline
We have obtained the SMA certification on January 23, 2015 through the test conducted by Kanagawa Institute of Technology HEMS (ECHONET Lite) Certification Support Center*7, which is the organization certified by ECHONET Consortium, the third party certification organization for ECHONET Lite standards and the networking certification for SMA specification. The equipment configuration certified by the SMA certification standard include Hikari BOX Plus, smart meters and 920MHz*8 USB adaptor for wireless networking.
*7: Kanagawa Institute of Technology HEMS (ECHONET Lite) Certification Support Center
Smart House/Building Standard Business Promotion Study Group hosted by Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, Japan has determined to have a third party certification organization to certify the networking between smart meters and HEMS equipment. Kanagawa Institute of Technology HEMS Certification Support Center is the first organization certified by ECHONET Consortium who develops the specification.
*8: 920MHz communication
The bandwidth 920MHz is selected by the ten major electrical companies in Japan as the major communication method of B Route.
SMA Certification enables users to monitor the power usage through the Internet*9 connection with Hikari BOX Plus. We proceed to the next step for further sales promotion of Flets Hikari and Hikari BOX Plus using this function as well as for promoting the alliance with electrical power producers, home electric appliance manufacturers and application providers.
Furthermore, it is expected to act on various activities to realize the ICT-based broadband/ubiquitous society by creating better and smart services for efficient use of energy for users through the alliance with power producers, home electric appliance manufacturers and application providers, using the power consumption data collected by smart meters.
*9: This requires contracts and payment of the Internet services and providers Flets Hikari Next etc.
Western Japan*10
*10: Thirty (30) Prefectures west of Toyama, Gifu, Shizuoka
(1) NTT West
- Sales of Flets Hikari and Hikari BOX Plus
- Design alliance strategies for this program etc.
(2) NTT Comware
- Develop applications for ECHONET Lite using Hikari BOX Plus
- Arrangements for testing in HEMS (ECOHNET Lite) Certification Support Center for SMA compliance certification of Hikari BOX Plus
