Matter and OpenADR team up to connect smart homes to the grid

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FollowSee All Smart HomeMatter and OpenADR team up to connect smart homes to the gridThe two standards bodies are working together to make it easier to connect home appliances to demand response programs. The two standards bodies are working together to make it easier to connect home appliances to demand response programs. by Jennifer Pattison Tuohy Jennifer Pattison TuohySenior Reviewer, Smart HomePosts from this author will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.

Technical Details

FollowSee All by Jennifer Pattison TuohyMay 11, 2026, 2:40 PM UTC Image: CSAPart OfAll the smart home news, reviews, and gadgets you need to know aboutsee all updates Jennifer Pattison Tuohy Jennifer Pattison TuohyPosts from this author will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed. FollowSee All by Jennifer Pattison Tuohy is a senior reviewer with over twenty years of experience. She covers smart home, IoT, and connected tech, and has written previously for Wirecutter, Wired, Dwell, , and US News.

Smart energy management just took a step closer to becoming simpler. This week, the organizations behind Matter, the smart-home interoperability standard, and the OpenADR protocol, which sends signals between the grid and the home, announced an agreement to work together. This should make it easier for connected appliances to participate in demand response programs (DR) and, hopefully, save you money.

In demand response programs, a customer agrees to reduce or shift their electrical usage in exchange for utility bill credits or other incentives. The Connectivity Standards Alliance, which runs Matter, and the non-profit OpenADR Alliance have outlined how the two protocols will work together to automate this process. Matter will handle in-home communication between a smart, connected electrical appliance, such as an EV charger, heat pump, or solar install, and an energy gateway that collects real-time data.

Industry Implications

Then the OpenADR 3 protocol will handle communication between the gateway, utilities, and grid. This should enable an end-to-end pathway from the grid to your home’s electrical appliances. When energy demand is high, these appliances can make small shifts or reductions in energy use, potentially via a home energy management system.

For example, a freezer could delay a defrost cycle, a washing machine could wait to start a load, or a hot water tank could pause its heating.

This advance offers important signals about the future of the sector, and the tech world is watching closely.