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FutureDash EnergyBuddy hands-on (video)
We've seen more than a few energy monitors, but how many of them offer a pretty light show on the side? The EnergyBuddy -- first unveiled as a prototype at CES but just now inching toward a full launch -- is a complete home energy-tracking system brought to you by Cali-based startup FutureDash. Starting at $99, it keeps tabs on users' energy consumption with a square-shaped gadget that connects to your network via WiFi or Ethernet. The square glows red, yellow or green depending on how much electricity you're guzzling, and you have the ability to specify what qualifies as acceptable usage. Naturally, the EnergyBuddy has a few peripherals in tow. A sensor installed at your electrical panel communicates with the rest of the system, and so-called Smart Plugs let you track the energy consumption of individual devices. The iPhone, iPad and desktop apps also offer some pretty in-depth stats, including dollars per hour spent on energy and a chart detailing consumption throughout the day. FutureDash is currently pushing the product on crowd-funding site Indiegogo, and though availability is TBD, you can take a peek at the system in our hands-on video below. %Gallery-159188% Joseph Volpe contributed to this report.
Sharp working with Japanese government on Home Energy Management System standard (video)
Sharp is partnering, not with another major player in the consumer electronics field but, with the Japanese government to create a standard based on its Home Energy Management System or HEMS. The platform allows users to not only monitor their energy consumption, but also reduce their electrical burden through home automation tools. With the aid of a tablet or smartphone, home owners can dim lighting and televisions or control thermostats, while monitoring how such changes affect energy consumption in real time. Sharp plans offer the system commercially with a router and WiFi modules that sit between appliances and your electrical outlet. The next step is getting regulators to agree to the standard so that non-Sharp products can become part of the ecosystem. Check out the video after the break.
Ubiquitous iRemoTap puts your powerstrip in the cloud, turns lights off remotely (video)
It probably won't help you if you leave your oven on, but if you let lights linger after leaving home, Ubiquitous' iRemotTap may help you save a few Kilowatts. This seemingly vanilla powerstip is anything but, boasting the odd addition of a tiny OS embedded in a wireless LAN chip -- all the better to turn your lights off. Users can control the internet-enabled socket stick remotely via a mobile or desktop web browser, allowing them to switch off gadgets and lights after leaving the house. Can't be bothered to log in to switch off? No worries, this plug powers devices down automatically after they reach a pre-defined power consumption limit. If you're forgetful enough to need a light switch in the cloud, Ubiquitous is hoping to sell you peace of mind for less than ¥10,000 ($122) -- whenever these taps get out of R&D, that is. Vid's after the break, if you need convincing.
Belkin's Conserve Gateway checks in with the FCC, may be at your utility company
Belkin just got official with its Converse Gateway wireless energy monitoring system earlier this month, and already it looks to be making a beeline to your local utility company. As the temperatures drop and energy use skyrockets, this here setup is designed to attach to a smart meter on the exterior of your home and beam information about usage to your PC (in a nutshell, anyway). Any smart device that's connected in your home can be listed in the UI, giving you a heads-up as to what youngster is burnin' up the most juice when you leave on business for the weekend. Per usual, a stop by the FCC's database generally signals a near-term release in the US of A, with Wireless Goodness suggesting that these are already starting to pop up around the country. Though, you'll have to phone up your local energy company to inquire about a professional installation -- we don't get the impression that these are going to be stocked at Wally World.
Belkin Conserve Gateway will track your whole home energy usage, confuse this guy
We're not sure exactly what Kevin Ashton is looking to find inside the back of the Belkin Conserve Gateway he's holding. As General Manager for the division that produced it, he should know quite well what it is: a sort of wireless gateway that connects your smart meter and smart appliances to your network, letting you capture your whole-home energy usage in real-time. Earlier entries in the Belkin Conserve line allowed you to track and manage individual devices, but this new gateway uses ZigBee to talk to your meter and compatible devices, then turns around and pumps that information to a "cloud-based device management system." Belkin hasn't shown us any interface shots yet, so we don't know exactly how that information will be presented, but we're assured it will be easy to understand -- even for corporate executives who confuse Ethernet ports with kaleidoscopes. %Gallery-103947%
Cisco's second tablet runs Linux, manages home energy use
Looks like the Android-toting Cius wasn't the only tablet out of Cisco this week -- the company's also announced a countertop unit for home energy management with a 7-inch, 800 x 480 capacitive touch screen. Running Ubuntu Linux for MID on a 1.1GHz Intel Atom chip, the Home Energy Controller connects to smart thermostats and appliances over 802.11n WiFi or gigabit ethernet using protocols including ZigBee. It then lets you keep tabs on your electricity usage, and suggests ways you could improve -- assuming you're using the tablet for its intended purpose instead of watching hardware-accelerated videos on Mediafly, browsing the included app store, or (potentially) using it as a phone of some sort. Forbes reports the device will run $900 per installation, though it's more likely it'll arrive subsidized by a monthly power bill. See it in action right after the break, and hit up that PDF at the more coverage link for a full spec sheet.
Sanwa rolls out wattage-watching power strip
Devices that keep watch on the amount of electricity you're using are hardly anything new, but Sanwa has managed to refine the idea somewhat with its new 700-TP1052DW power strip, which is considerably more compact and a tad less unsightly than some other similar options. Nothing too complicated here -- just plug in your devices, switch on each outlet as needed, and keep watch on the total wattage being used on the handy built-in LCD (it'll even alert you if you reach a critical level). No word on pricing or availability just yet, but you can check out an enthralling 21 second video of the power strip after the break.
Intel's experimental sensor analyzes appliance power consumption from single outlet
It's pretty much set in silicon -- in the future, you will monitor your home power consumption, and perhaps even enjoy doing so. Futuristic touchscreen panels and free monitoring software abound, each designed to reward you with a warm, fuzzy Captain Planet feeling and a reduced energy bill when you finally turn off that blasted light. Thing is, unless you've got a home automation system, you won't know which switch to flip. Intel wants to change that with a new wireless sensor that can identify each individual appliance in your house by their unique electrical signal, just by plugging into a single outlet in your house. The reportedly low-cost sensor works by simply recognizing voltage drop patterns when devices are turned on and off, and doesn't require special appliances to function; Intel demonstrated it on a standard toaster, microwave and fridge in Beijing this week. Demonstrate your supreme demand for this "why didn't I think of that" idea by directing traffic to our source link -- you can jump to 20:10 to see the sensor in action. Update: Come to think of it, that looks just like a wireless version of Marvell's SheevaPlug.
Silverstat7 Zigbee-packin' thermostat to debut this fall for $600?
Every day it seems that companies are finding better ways to keep an eye on the non-renewable resources we're sucking down to enable our voracious appetite for Xbox gaming and Hulu viewing. Not that we're complaining! And now, thanks to a gracious tipster, we've received some deets on that Silverstat7 home energy management solution (er, touchscreen thermostat) we first hepped you to a couple days ago. Along with 802.11g WiFi, this guy supports the Zigbee and Zwave protocols (as you probably guessed), so it should be able to play nicely with your existing smart meter, switches and outlets. Earlier reports of a June 2010 release date may have been premature -- look for it this fall for about $600 MSRP. [Thanks, Tony L.]
Silverpac Silverstat 7 provides energy usage data, responds to touch
Boy, if it's not car dashboards, it's thermostats -- you just can't get away from touchscreens these days. The latest 7-inch temperature regulator from Silverpac comes with a bunch of extra goodies to entice the touch control-loving generation into the energy conservation game. With WiFi built in, the Silverstat 7 can pump data out to the internet or your home network, and is equally adept at streaming photos, music and other content back from those connections. A full week's worth of water temperature instructions can be programmed into the device, which can also inform you of weather conditions and your home's energy consumption. The latter part is most intriguing, as you'll be informed of power usage on a per-appliance basis, which can be mighty beneficial when a certain bit of home hardware gorges on electricity without you knowing. June 2010 is set as the release date, but the wallet damage remains unrevealed.
Visual Voltage clock turns electricity monitoring into art
Sure you can monitor your home energy use with any number of "useful" and "easily readable" gauges and gadgets, but why settle for straightforwardness when you can have something verging on art? That's the thinking behind the so-called Visual Voltage exhibition created by a group of Swedish designers, anyway, which features this eye-catching clock-like device front and center. As with other energy monitors, it promises to do nothing more than monitor your daily electricity use and let you know when you're using more than you should. Instead of spewing out a series of digits and blinkin' lights, however, this one creates a nifty visualization of your homes daily energy rhythms to attract a bit more attention -- or it will if it ever turns into an actual product, that is. The designers aren't stopping there with the whole "visual voltage" idea tough, and are also showing off a power cord that lights up when in use, and a concept for a set of solar-powered blinds that can absorb energy during the day and provide ambient light at night (check it out after the break).[Via Engadget German]
Ewgeco energy monitor aims to curb your consumption habits
It's far from the first energy monitor we've seen, but this new so-called Ewgeco device does look to be one of the more sophisticated offerings so far, with it not only promising to keep tabs on your electricity use, but your water and gas consumption as well. That's apparently done with the aid of sensors that wirelessly transfer readings to the main device, which translates the information into easy to read bars that light up green, red, or amber depending on your level of consumption. Unfortunately, the device is only being sold to businesses at the moment, and it's not exactly plug-and-play either, with one of the company engineers required to install it, and a week needed for the Ewgeco to get used to your normal usage patterns.
UK households to get "free" energy monitors
The environmentalists in the UK have certainly been earning their paychecks of late, as it's been the Brits who have looked at outlawing standby buttons, offered up a way to kill power en masse, and now, officials are readying the launch of free household energy monitors to bring wasteful habits to light. As a part of the upcoming Energy White Paper, England is hoping that the real-time monitors "will help cut greenhouse gas emissions and the amount of energy wasted by appliances being left on standby." The devices are supposed to give dwellers a quick look at just how much energy is going to waste by leaving the bathroom light on, and a handheld extension allows you to view the killowatt-burning action from all over your domicile. Of course, it should be noted that while citizens can request one for free starting sometime in 2008, "the cost of the scheme will either be recouped through taxes or their energy bills."[Image courtesy of MoreAssociates]
