Two major smart home standards are joining forces to help lower your energy bills during peak electricity hours. The groups behind Matter and OpenADR announced this week that they’re collaborating to connect household appliances directly to the electrical grid.
What’s Actually Happening Here
If you’ve purchased a smart plug, thermostat, or appliance in recent years, chances are it supports Matter. This smart home interoperability standard allows devices from Apple, Google, Amazon, and many others to communicate with each other without needing separate apps.
OpenADR, on the other hand, is a different kind of standard. It’s a protocol that utility companies use to send signals to homes and businesses when electricity demand spikes. For instance, during a hot summer afternoon when air conditioning units are running full blast, your utility can send a signal asking smart devices to reduce their power usage automatically. This helps prevent blackouts and eases the strain on the grid.
Historically, these two systems haven’t communicated well. A utility using OpenADR couldn’t easily connect with Matter devices in your home. This collaboration aims to change that.
Why the Gap Existed in the First Place
Imagine two businesses that each speak a different language trying to negotiate a deal. OpenADR was designed for utilities and commercial buildings long before smart homes became common. Matter, however, was created specifically for consumer devices. Bridging these two requires agreeing on how signals are translated, who’s authorized to send commands, and how devices respond.
The Connectivity Standards Alliance (the group behind Matter) and the OpenADR Alliance are now officially working to build that bridge instead of leaving individual device makers to figure it out on their own.
What This Means for Everyday Users
Right now, joining a utility demand response program, where your energy company pays or credits you for reducing usage during peak times, usually requires signing up manually. You often have to download a specific app and hope your devices are compatible. It’s complicated enough that many people skip it.
If this collaboration goes as planned, it could simplify the process. Your smart thermostat, water heater, EV charger, or washing machine could automatically receive signals from the grid and adjust their behavior during high-demand periods. You wouldn’t have to do anything after the initial setup. You’d still control your preferences, like setting a limit to “never let the house go above 78 degrees” even during demand response events.
The potential benefits for households are significant. Participants in demand response programs can save anywhere from $50 to $150 per year on energy costs, depending on their location and usage. This can happen without needing any new hardware—just smarter software coordination.
| Metric | Detail |
|---|---|
| Matter device certifications | Over 5,000 products certified as of early 2025 |
| OpenADR deployments | Used in more than 30 countries by utilities and grid operators |
| Typical demand response savings | $50–$150/year per enrolled household |
| Peak grid stress periods | Usually 2–7 PM on hot summer weekdays |
The Bigger Picture: Why Utilities Care
Electric grids were built around predictable demand patterns. But with more people buying EVs, heat pumps, and electric appliances, that predictability is fading. Utilities face a tough choice: either build costly new power plants to meet peak demand or get smarter about managing their existing capacity.
Demand response offers a cheaper solution, but it only works if enough devices are enrolled and responding to signals. Connecting OpenADR directly to millions of Matter-compatible devices gives utilities a much larger pool of controllable load to work with, without making homeowners jump through hoops.
Community Reactions
“Finally. I’ve been trying to get my utility’s demand response program to work with my Ecobee for two years. The separate app situation is a nightmare.”
“I’m cautiously optimistic, but the devil is in the details. Who actually controls what the utility can do to your devices? That needs to be crystal clear before I sign up for anything.”
What Hasn’t Been Figured Out Yet
This announcement outlines a collaboration agreement, not a finished product. The two organizations still need to work out the technical specifications for how Matter devices will receive and respond to OpenADR signals. They also need to clarify privacy and authorization issues, especially regarding how much control utilities can have and how users can opt in or out.
Adoption is another concern. Even if the standard gets established, device makers still need to implement it. Utilities must update their systems, and local regulators have to approve demand response programs. Coordinating all these pieces presents a challenge.
What To Watch
- Technical specification release: Both alliances need to publish a formal integration specification before any devices can be updated or certified. Keep an eye out for announcements from the Connectivity Standards Alliance in late 2025 or 2026.
- Matter updates: Future versions of the Matter standard could include native demand response support. The CSA follows a regular release schedule, so the next major Matter revision is one to track.
- Utility pilot programs: Early adoption will likely come from progressive utilities in California, Texas, and parts of Europe that already run active demand response programs. If you’re in those areas, check if your utility is an OpenADR member.
- Device firmware updates: Existing Matter devices might gain demand response features through software updates if their manufacturers choose to implement the new standard, so no new hardware will be needed.
Sources: The Verge: Matter and OpenADR team up to connect smart homes to the grid | Engadget: OpenADR and Matter are collaborating to let your smart home talk to the grid
Daniel Park
Daniel Park covers AI, cloud infrastructure, and enterprise software for Explosion.com. A former software engineer who transitioned to technology journalism 5 years ago, Daniel brings technical depth to his reporting on artificial intelligence, startup funding rounds, and the companies building the future of computing. He breaks down complex AI developments and business strategies into clear, actionable insights for readers who want to understand how technology is reshaping industries.
