Samsung Expands SmartThings’ Flex Connect Program In The US

If you’re a Samsung product user, you’ve probably heard of SmartThings before. SmartThings is the company’s proprietary IoT platform for managing all the connected smart devices in your home. A while back, Samsung launched Flex Connect as a SmartThings-powered DR program, though its availability was limited. Now, the company is extending Flex Connect’s reach to the wholesale electricity market.

If you’re not familiar with the topic, you might be confused about some of the terms. Don’t worry, it’s pretty simple. DR (Demand Response) programs are initiatives designed to help stabilize the energy balance of a specific area. Typically, these initiatives aim to encourage users to adjust their electricity consumption during periods of extreme strain on the power grid.

Flex Connect, Samsung’s DR program, arrived in July 2024 in California and New York. In late 2024, the program came to Texas, and now Samsung will expand Flex Connect to PJM Interconnection LLC (PJM) in March. This means that many users across the Mid-Atlantic and greater Chicago will be able to access the benefits of SmartThings’ Flex Connect. But what are these benefits?

SmartThings’ Flex Connect soon available for PJM customers

The main problem with traditional DRs is that they require a lot of manual intervention. Governments can share awareness campaigns or even set laws that force users to adjust their energy consumption. This results in people having to constantly remind themselves how much electricity they can use, which can be quite annoying. In very extreme cases, the government itself can schedule total power outages for some hours.

However, the era of smart connected tech is helping to solve that. One of the main advantages of the Flex Connect program is that SmartThings-supported devices can automatically adjust power consumption according to the status of the electrical grid. This eliminates most of the user involvement in the process. The program also allows people to choose how their devices will respond to different DR situations. So, the energy consumption adjustments will be much more efficient than if a person had to make them manually.

Enrolling in the program will give you $50 in Samsung Rewards points

Additionally, those who enroll in the program will receive $50 in Samsung Rewards points. So, you’ll get a nice discount on products from the company’s official store.

You can enroll in SmartThings’ Flex Connect from the “SmartThings Energy” service available in the SmartThings app. Once done, you just need to choose the automation options that best suit you.

Samsung’s move is no coincidence. Experts at the North American Electric Reliability Corporation estimate that, over the next decade, peak electricity demand in the United States will rise by 15% in the summer and 18% in the winter. According to Samsung, Flex Connect currently supports 32% of the country’s population. It is possible that the program will be extended to a larger percentage of the population in the near future.