One of the company’s most recent projects¹ includes the Brobyholm smart city near Stockholm, Sweden — in which Samsung is joining hands with industry leaders to create a smart, energy-efficient residential community based on energy independence.

▲ Samsung is providing Net Zero Home solutions to the Brobyholm smart city in Sweden. The goal is to build a 2,000-home smart city near the Stockholm area, with approximately 500 homes set to be available in 2025 and sold sequentially until 2028.

Generating and Storing Energy From Dawn to Dusk

As soon as the sun rises in the morning, an energy-efficient home begins producing and storing energy using advanced solar panels and storage batteries. On clear, sunny days, the smart home system switches on the air conditioning or heating in advance — to save energy later on in the day, once the sun sets or the weather becomes overcast.

Using Samsung’s integrated and expansive multi-device ecosystem SmartThings, users can seamlessly control their home appliances and smart home devices. AI Energy Mode on SmartThings Energy helps users effortlessly save energy throughout their home by automatically optimizing energy usage of appliances.

▲ SmartThings Energy gives users the ability to easily monitor their home’s energy production, storage and usage.

Smart Energy Management Away From Home

Homeowners no longer have to worry about leaving their pets home alone on hot summer days. SmartThings will automatically turn on the air conditioner and lower the blinds to keep indoor temperatures cool and prevent strong sunlight from entering the house — allowing furry friends to stay comfortable inside. Additionally, home sensors can detect if a window is left open and alert users accordingly to avoid unnecessary energy waste.

Before leaving their home, users can preload their laundry into the washer and set it to run later. After the start button is pressed, SmartThings will determine when energy usage is lowest² in the day and automatically start the cycle. As such, users can manage their energy usage even when they’re not at home.

▲ SmartThings Energy enables smarter, more efficient energy usage by taking into account various factors such as energy production, outside temperatures, peak energy usage times and more.

Wind Down With SmartThings

After returning home from a long day, SmartThings Cooking allows users to easily prepare meals by sending a recipe’s cooking settings straight to the oven. When tidying up after dinner, SmartThings will automatically start the dishwashing cycle at off-peak hours² to help cut costs. Before settling down for the night, users can enjoy a warm shower using pre-heated water from the morning’s surplus energy while SmartThings’ Bedtime Routine automatically adjusts the lights and home appliance settings to create an optimal environment for a restful night of sleep.

▲ SmartThings allows users to control their home appliance and smart home devices while SmartThings Energy provides users with insights into their home’s energy production and consumption.

With SmartThings Energy, users can view how much energy their home produces and uses as well as other in-depth energy analytics. From laundry to cooking, SmartThings encourages users to complete their household chores using the energy produced by their homes. Samsung is making homes smarter with SmartThings and empowering users to take steps to create their own Net Zero Home.

¹ Some of the features depicted in the video will be implemented in 2024.
² The function to run appliances at off-peak times will be supported through an update in the first half of 2024 for the U.S. and major European countries including the U.K., France and Germany.

Samsung Electronics today announced its showcase of a model home with a Smart Home Energy Management System (SHEMS), supported by SmartThings Energy, in Brobyholm, a smart and energy efficient residential community development near Stockholm, Sweden.

Samsung takes a part in this project with a smart homes innovator ABB, solar technology company SMA and a real estate company S. Property. Samsung will not only supply its appliances in Brobyholm residents, but also provide its unique solution, SmartThings Energy for users to control their energy use in consolidated way.

“We are excited to present this smart community to the public,” said Chan Woo Park, Executive Vice President and Head of the Service Biz Group of the Digital Appliances Business at Samsung Electronics. “Our goal is to create seamless connectivity that helps consumers easily manage their homes and save energy at the same time.”

Samsung will supply its appliances — including refrigerators, ovens, dishwashers, washers and dryers — that will all sync to SmartThings Energy to control, monitor and save energy. Together with photovoltaics (PV) energy production & energy storage system (ESS) which is currently under development by real estate company S. Property Group, each home will aim to maximize energy efficiency.

Furthermore, building on its partnership with ABB in 2022, Samsung will integrate SmartThings Energy with ABB’s automation solution, ABB-free@home^®. As a result, homes in Brobyholm will be capable of connecting appliances and devices to a centralized system that automatically saves energy, time and cost. And with just a few simple clicks on the SmartThings mobile application, homeowners will have access and control over the energy consumption within their homes.

The smart home opened as a model home for visitors and future residents of Brobyholm starting on November 9. Upon completion of the first 500 homes in 2025, more smart and energy efficient homes are expected to fill up the development. S. Property Group plans to expand them at Brobyholm by up to 2000 homes by 2028.

Samsung has worked to develop Net Zero environments and the effort was recently showcased as an interactive experience at IFA 2023. Moving forward, Samsung plans to create additional turnkey smart home solutions with the goal of applying and expanding them in countries around the world.

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.

Samsung’s partnership with SMA enables users to access SMA’s various products and Home Energy solutions with SmartThings Energy. Samsung’s heat pumps can also now talk to SMA’s solutions. With the ABB partnership, users can leverage ABB’s various home automation solutions with SmartThings. Samsung’s various connected products will also be available for ABBs Smart Buildings.

With SMA’s Jan Van Laethem and ABB’s Lucy Han both participating in IFA as Net Zero Home project spokespersons, Samsung sat down with them to discuss their work on the project, their companies’ respective partnerships with Samsung and their visions for the future of sustainable smart home solutions.

▲ SMA’s Jan Van Laethem and ABB’s Lucy Han both spoke at Samsung Electronics’ Press Conference at IFA 2023

Q. Could you please give us a brief introduction to yourself and your work?

Van Laethem: As EVP of Segment Home Solutions, I’m responsible for all global residential solutions, systems and devices. SMA is the leading specialist in photovoltaic (PV) and storage system technology and we endeavor to set the standards for tomorrow’s renewable energy supply. Our portfolio scope ranges from efficient PV and battery inverters up to holistic system solutions for PV, battery storage, EV charging and HVAC systems of all power classes. With over 40 years of experience – which began at our center in Germany — the teams at SMA are working to shape the path to a climate friendly future.

Han: I am Executive Vice President for Building and Home Automation Solutions at ABB. Our ABB Smart Buildings enhance people’s quality of life by equipping the buildings of the future with products, solutions and services that drive energy efficiency and sustainability. We leverage innovation and digital technologies to enable safe and reliable energy distribution and smarter, more sustainable buildings. Whether it’s new or existing single-family homes, multi-dwellings or commercial and industrial buildings, we are driven by a spirit of partnership and collaboration, supported by a reputation for open and scalable digital solutions and intelligent technologies.

▲ SMA’s Jan Van Laethem and ABB’s Lucy Han pose at Samsung Electronics’ booth at IFA 2023

Q. Why did you choose to partner with Samsung for the Net Zero Home project? How does the partnership align with your company goals?

Van Laethem: Both SMA and Samsung share the same mission: To make people the focus of our business goals. SMA wants to empower its customers to create a sustainable future in their own lives, and partnerships with companies like Samsung are crucial in realizing this, because device compatibility is essential in making it happen.

Han: Teaming up with a major tech innovator like Samsung Electronics strengthens ABB’s mission to connect entire buildings with open and adaptable solutions. Partnerships like this also provide insights into total energy consumption, including in areas like electric vehicle (EV) charging.

Homeowners want smart home solutions that link all the devices of the home, whether they are from Samsung, ABB or other brands. Importantly, they also want to be able to access them via one user interface. The Net Zero Home project is an important milestone because it demonstrates this user-friendly approach in action. Our work with Samsung is helping make concepts like home automation and energy optimization more tangible to customers by showing them working seamlessly in familiar environments. Once fully realized, these concepts will constitute a significant step towards a more sustainable world.

Q. How would you describe the Net Zero Home project for customers? Does it let them participate in energy management themselves?

Han: Imagine homes where devices and appliances are all connected through one centralized system, a system that saves you money, time and energy. By connecting the Samsung SmartThings app with ABB home automation solutions, for instance, you can monitor and control everything — from washing machines to energy and security systems — using just one app across your devices. Through the energy they save and the carbon emissions they cut, smarter homes are a win-win for both you and the planet.

Van Laethem: The Net Zero Home project can take care of customers’ energy management for them, but it also lets them customize the system to meet their individual needs. The project offers different solutions for different individuals, from solar beginners to advanced users who want to participate more directly in managing their energy.

▲ At IFA 2023, Samsung invited attendees to explore its Net Zero Home project at Tiny House, just outside City Cube Berlin. The exhibition showcased how, with the SmartThings Energy service at its core, Samsung is developing this new holistic, efficient and intelligent household energy experience.

Q. What are your hopes and expectations for Net Zero Home use around the world? What are the factors that play into its wider adoption?

Van Laethem: SMA’s goal is to supply as many households as possible with clean energy and thus reduce CO2 emissions worldwide, and the Net Zero Home project is a great opportunity to make our energy solutions more widely available.

All around the world, energy costs are rising. Customers are starting to realize the value of independence from fossil energy imports and want to cut down their personal CO2 emissions. These factors are laying the groundwork for broader Net Zero Home adoption, and its success would mean more energy security, more freedom and a healthier planet.

Han: Global Net Zero Home adoption would mean more homes that don’t mess with the planet. That’s what this project is all about. Net Zero Homes are like climate superheroes, fighting carbon and climate change day in, day out. My personal vision for Net Zero Homes is for them to make a real difference in addressing the climate crisis.

Our overarching goal is to lead the way with today’s technologies to fix tomorrow’s issues. To make Net Zero Homes successful, however, we also need to keep things simple. That means open communication protocols, interoperable devices and creating a common language for the household ecosystem.

Q. To what extent is the Net Zero Home project responding to the current state of home energy?

Han: When it comes to the future of connected living and city planning, the pandemic condensed decades of social and behavioral change into the space of just a few months.

Now, we’re looking at a whole new landscape. Concepts like “smart cities” are evolving into a focus on “smart communities.” We used to think of smart technology in terms of individual homes, but now adoption among multi-dwelling, multi-villa and tower developments is gathering pace too.

To accelerate the transition to Net Zero we need to consider issues like industry standardization and regulatory certainty, the accessibility of technology, innovation, financing and industry skills. These are all areas that efforts like the Net Zero Home project help flesh out in real time.

▲ SMA’s Jan Van Laethem and ABB’s Lucy Han at Samsung Electronics’ Press Conference at IFA 2023. Samsung is working with various partners, including SMA and ABB, to help make the home of the future a reality

Q. What does the future hold for SMA and ABB’s work with Samsung?

Van Laethem: SMA and Samsung are continuing to work together on holistic solutions that bring together the worlds of smart homes and home energy management. We look forward to sharing more plans and projects down the line.

Han: ABB and Samsung are currently working on the next iteration of products and solutions that tackle modern energy demands. Able to integrate with third party companies and domestic appliances, this solution will harmonize smart home systems, energy management processes and EV charging controls. Built into our existing smart home ecosystem, it interacts with heat pumps, rooftop solar PV systems and EVs.

This kind of visualized intelligence at users’ fingertips was, until now, the preserve of commercial buildings. Not only do our new solutions empower homeowners to better manage their immediate energy bills, but they will also help them to optimize their consumption habits over the long term. We are proud of our achievements alongside Samsung in the Net Zero Home project, and I am hopeful of further successes to come.

Integrating with SolarEdge Home, SolarEdge’s smart energy ecosystem, SmartThings Energy offers users new ways to optimize energy consumption and lower their home’s energy bills. It provides one-stop support, from monitoring a household’s photovoltaic (PV) generation and battery status at a glance to optimize energy consumption and save energy with its AI Energy Mode. The SolarEdge ecosystem has expanded to include Samsung’s wide range of smart energy technologies, including heat pumps to power more devices with clean solar energy, together providing visibility on appliances’ impact on household energy consumption.

Samsung has now created a base for business expansion through this partnership with SolarEdge, a company specializing in smart inverters that convert sunlight into electrical energy. SolarEdge’s innovative energy optimization system uses data-driven automation to make hundreds of optimal energy decisions every day based on smart predictions of solar production, energy consumption patterns, battery status and utility rates.

“The solutions we’ve developed with our key partners underline our commitment to creating a brighter future with solar power,” said Chan-woo Park, Executive Vice President of Digital Appliances Business at Samsung Electronics. “We’re excited to demonstrate how expanding our net zero home solution and SmartThings Energy service will make it easier for consumers to become energy independent, save money and contribute to creating a healthier planet.”

“Samsung is a strategic partner, and we are excited to further expand the SolarEdge Home offering and provide our customers with an expanded suite of possible smart energy appliances,” said Ido Ginodi, VP of Global Product at SolarEdge. “As part of an end-to-end smart energy ecosystem, our smart SolarEdge ONE optimization system will help optimize home energy consumption and lower homeowner energy bills.”

SmartThings Energy will also provide periodic information on carbon intensity as one of its new features, starting at the end of June. Carbon intensity refers to the carbon emissions generated by consuming one kilowatt-hour (kWh) of electricity, and consumers can experience the reduction in carbon emissions through product-specific carbon emission forecasts and participate by choosing relatively low carbon intensity time periods.

In addition, Samsung will expand its Demand Response (DR) service globally starting in the U.S., following its successful introduction in Korea. Backed by local governments, the service provides financial incentives such as cash rewards and credits to consumers if they voluntarily reduce energy use during peak hours of power usage.

Since March, Samsung has been operating DR in cooperation with the Seoul Metropolitan Government and the Korea Electric Power Corporation. Starting at the end of June, Samsung plans to test run DR in California and New York.

Samsung’s collaboration with SolarEdge is not the first of its kind. It has a history of joining hands with a variety of solar energy companies, like Qcells in 2021, and also with SMA Solar Technology and Maxeon Solar Technology.

Samsung will display its innovative, energy-saving solutions at Intersolar Europe 2023 together with its various global partners. The event, Europe’s largest energy exhibition, will take place in Munich, Germany from June 14 to 16.

AI Energy Mode, a power-saving feature from Samsung’s SmartThings Energy, is exactly this kind of solution. AI Energy Mode is powered to bring all manner of positive changes and handy solutions to the household, cutting costs and making life smoother at every turn, and its diverse features, such as AI Ecobubble, cover a broad range of household areas.

Using AI-enhanced systems to weigh laundry loads, set defrosting cycles and estimate electricity bills, AI Energy Mode intelligently keeps track of all kinds of variables. When a refrigerator door is opened or a room’s temperature dips, SmartThings’ algorithm takes notice and responds, building a bigger picture of household usage patterns and passing the savings on to users.

Impressive savings in energy and cost have been recorded across the board, taking stress off the consumer and the environment alike, and this is just the beginning of Samsung’s vision of truly efficient, eco-conscious homes. Samsung’s intention is to make all of its key household appliances Wi-Fi enabled and SmartThings compatible by 2023, while its Net Zero Home project, in partnership with Qcells, is aimed at creating the holistic home of the future today, with SmartThings storing and managing renewable energy from inbuilt solar panels.

* Internal testing specifications have been revised on January 31, 2023 to provide more accurate information.

As we begin this online tour of Samsung Town, we would like to first introduce you to the Everyday Sustainability Zone, a vision for a greener future by incorporating sustainability into everyday life. In the zone, Samsung Electronics showcases its diverse efforts to increase sustainability at all stages of the product lifecycle, from manufacturing and distribution to usage and disposal.

At the three SmartThings Home exhibit spaces including Kitchen & Laundry, Bedroom and Outdoors, the visitors, using SmartThings AI Energy mode, can experience Net Zero Home, a space where it produces, stores, manages and consume the energy at home without creating energy surplus or shortage.

Let’s find out more about how everyday sustainability was showcased at IFA 2022 through the photos below.

▲ Entrance of Everyday Sustainability Zone

▲ Every Sustainability Zone shows various efforts Samsung made to increase sustainability by categorizing devices in their lifecycle process — manufacturing, distribution, usage and disposal — and Samsung’s 10 initiatives such as Galaxy upcycling, eco-conscious packaging, Solar cell remote control and more.

▲ Samsung and Patagonia, a global outdoors brand, have collaborated to create a new Bespoke washing machine that effectively reduces the impact of microplastics.

▲ In partnership with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) to reach Samsung Global Goals by 2030, Samsung developed various initiatives including the development of Samsung’s Global Goals app, launching of Generation17 and more.

▲ Samsung’s SmartThings Home exhibit let visitors experience integrating home appliances and devices for greener day-to-day lives.

▲ The visitors are introduced to the Net Zero Home area which helps produce, store and consume energy at home. The visitors are trying out the installed solar panels, household battery and EHS outdoor AC unit via AR within Net Zero Home.

▲ When turning on the Automatic Blind air conditioning, the curtains shut automatically to block out radiant heat. The AI Energy Saving Mode within your app to reduce the air conditioner’s energy usage by 20% (RAC). The Energy Usage While Away Alert feature within SmartThings app alerts you that the air conditioner is still on if you’ve left home. With the notification, you can easily turn it off using the app while away from home.

▲ AI mode is on at night where the solar panels are unable to produce electricity to save energy usage across all your home appliances. In eight hours, you can reduce the energy used by a refrigerator by 30%, energy used by a washing machine by 70%, energy used by a dryer by 20%, energy used by the dishwasher by 15% and energy used by an EHS by 40%.

▲ At the SmartThings Playground’s Save your Energy section, the visitors can experience easier laundry experience, thanks to SmartThings. Once the laundry is done, you receive notifications on your phone with SmartThings app, and check how much energy has been saved.