While Apple’s smart home ecosystem did not feature prominently in the WWDC keynote presentation, there are notable advancements on the horizon for the Home app, particularly in the area of energy management.
This week, Apple shared insights in a video released on its developer site, showcasing the upcoming EnergyKit framework. This new tool enables developers to incorporate energy usage data from Apple Home in iOS 26 and iPadOS 26, facilitating the reduction or rescheduling of device energy consumption to take advantage of cleaner or cheaper energy sources. For instance, a thermostat could decrease usage during peak pricing, while an electric vehicle might optimize its charging schedule based on expected energy costs.
Currently, the Home app already allows users to monitor their electricity usage and rates, and track the availability of clean energy through the Grid Forecast widget, assuming a connection with a compatible utility provider, which currently includes only PG&E. EnergyKit empowers developers to utilize a feature called EnergyKit Guidance, allowing them to create automated responses for devices based on this data.
According to Apple’s documentation, EnergyKit is intended to function with applications for electric vehicle chargers and smart thermostats. Presently, various products like Ecobee and Google Nest thermostats already integrate features that adapt energy consumption based on factors such as clean energy availability, energy pricing, and demand response initiatives, alongside most EV chargers that enable schedule creation based on energy data.
Although EnergyKit focuses on shuttling data securely from Apple Home to third-party apps, there is clear potential for future integration within Apple Home itself. This could ultimately lead to the platform evolving into a home energy management system (HEMS), capable of monitoring, controlling, and optimizing energy utilization across smart devices.
Similar functionalities have already debuted on other smart home platforms, such as Samsung SmartThings and LG’s Homey, which feature AI-driven energy management modes. However, Apple’s current platform is lagging in terms of energy monitoring capacity for connected devices.
This could lay the groundwork for Apple Home to eventually become a home energy management system
The emphasis on EnergyKit suggests an intention to encourage developers to incorporate Apple Home data into their own applications, given the current limitations of Apple Home in terms of compatibility with EV chargers and thermostat energy monitoring. However, with Apple’s active participation in the Matter smart home standard, support for these devices may be on the horizon.
Matter has recently expanded to include most major appliance types alongside energy-intensive devices such as heat pumps and electric water heaters, which could facilitate smoother integration of these technologies into Apple Home. Additionally, the standard encompasses battery energy storage systems and solar power components, providing a pathway for Apple’s smart home ambitions to encompass broader energy management solutions.
