Smarter Homes, Smarter Living: Samsung’s Net Zero Home Project at IFA 2023

The world is zeroing in on a brighter future.

To energize the concept of a carbon-neutral home, Samsung Electronics built a one-person household outside the IFA 2023 venue, held from September 1 to 5 in Berlin, Germany. Demonstrating how a home can generate and store its own energy, the Net Zero Home project highlighted features of SmartThings Energy and sparked enthusiasm for a more attainable eco-conscious lifestyle.

▲ Samsung built the Net Zero Home project near CityCube, the IFA 2023 venue in Berlin, Germany.

Building the Future of Smart Home Technology Together

To create a home that generates and stores energy using solar panels and batteries, Samsung partnered with global experts in energy, utilities and IT — including solar panel and battery manufacturers Hanwha Qcells, SMA and Maxeon, and smart home innovator ABB.

Through these collaborations, SmartThings Energy can efficiently monitor and manage everything from solar energy production to the energy consumption of home appliances or electric vehicle chargers.

▲ Energy is produced via Hanwha Qcells’ solar panels that have been installed on the roof of the Net Zero Home project.

▲ Various partner solutions — such as Hanwha Qcells’ solar panels; SMA’s home-use photovoltaic inverter, battery and electric vehicle charger; and ABB’s smart meter — have been seamlessly integrated into the SmartThings system. In addition, visitors can take note of Samsung’s Air to Water Heating Systems (EHS), highly efficient integrated heat pump solutions for heating and cooling currently available in the European market.

Energy Monitoring and Efficiency at Your Fingertips

With AI Energy Mode, SmartThings Energy makes it easy to save energy by reducing the energy consumption of users’ home appliances and predicting their monthly energy usage. Before reaching target energy limits, SmartThings Energy will automatically activate AI Energy Mode to run appliances on power-efficient algorithms.

▲ The smart TV, dishwasher, oven, air conditioner and Family Hub refrigerator installed in the Net Zero Home project can be monitored through SmartThings Energy. Energy usage can be significantly reduced with AI Energy Mode.

Using SmartThings’ Routines, users can effortlessly reduce energy waste in their daily lives. With a single press of a button, home appliances and lights can be turned off when leaving the house — so there’s no need to worry about forgetting about the lights in the bedroom or the air conditioner.

Users can also use Routines to create a Sunshine Mode for example, activating the air conditioner to keep the home cool on hot, sunny days when solar panels are generating plenty of power. Compatible blinds can also be set to be automatically lowered to prevent excess sunlight from coming through the windows and heating up the house, ensuring the air conditioner works more efficiently.

▲ Demonstration of ‘Sunshine Mode’ made with SmartThings Routines, where the solar panel, air conditioner, and blind automatically work together to efficiently keep the house cool on hot sunny days

Connecting People and Technology in Everyday Life

SmartThings offers homeowners peace of mind — allowing them to see who’s at the door in real time via their smart TV, manage food inventory through the Family Hub refrigerator touchscreen or view and control all their connected devices from the SmartThings app.

The Net Zero Home project, powered by SmartThings, is becoming a reality around the world. Samsung is collaborating with partners on several Net Zero Home projects — including the S. Property Group’s smart urban infrastructure development in Brobyholm, Sweden; the Eco Delta City in Busan, Korea; and the Smart City Project in Sterling Ranch, Colorado, U.S.

SmartThings Energy’s device connectivity is bridging the gap between the present and future, making sustainability possible for everyone. Stay tuned to Samsung Newsroom to learn more about how the features in the Net Zero Home project, highlighted at IFA 2023, will become a part of everyday lives.