The Energy Detective (TED) 06/13/2009
It seems like everywhere you turn, there is talk about living more efficiently with less waste. However, it is hard to know how to really maintain a green lifestyle and decrease your carbon footprint besides separating your recyclables and bringing your own bags to the grocery store. And now, coupled with the economy, everyone is seeking ways to save money. As we discussed in our previous blog post, “Home Automation: Cool and Cost Effective,” new home automation technologies are helping consumers to both save money and green their homes.
Monitoring electricity consumption has been proven as one of the best ways to save money on utility bills, which consequently decreases individual energy usage. One of the coolest new products on the market that can help consumers do this is The Energy Detective (TED), a real-time energy monitor designed by Peak Software. Although there are other products out there that can tell you how much electricity an appliance is using, with TED you can monitor all of the energy usage of all your appliances at the same time.
TED can provide daily, weekly, and monthly usage reports in addition to making recommendations on ways to decrease your energy usage. It can even tell you what your electric bill will be before you get it.
TED is designed to work with Control4 home automation systems. Used in conjunction with Control4 systems, you can program your appliances and climate control systems to operate during non-peak (when electricity costs are lower) times of the day. You can also monitor electricity usage from a mobile device like an iPhone.
It is estimated that the average consumer could save between $400 and $500 per year, and move you one step forward in minimizing your carbon footprint.
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