ThinkEco’s plug-in modlet learns your usage patterns and offers scheduling recommendations.
May 03, 2011 by Steven Castle
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https://www.electronichouse.com/article/intelligent_device_automates_energy_savings/C155
Like many of us, Mei Shibata has a home entertainment system with a sizable TV, DVD player, Wii game console and a cable box. But unlike many of us, she’s saving energy and money with it.
While no one is at in her New York home during certain times of the day, power is cut to the entertainment system—including the “always-on” cable box. Then, before her child arrives home and watches TV, power is resumed to the system and the cable box has time to boot up and download the necessary programming information.
It’s all done with a product called the modlet, from ThinkEco. The modlet is a plug-in device with two outlets and wireless ZigBee connection to a computer for the software interface. The modlet can monitor the energy of an appliance of device plugged into it—and it can cut or resume power to that device automatically. Even better, this is based on your preferences and your usage patterns.
The modlet and its software learns how you use the things plugged into it, and recommends savings plans.
ThinkEco estimates that cutting power to a cable box alone for 12 hours a day results in annual savings of $17, and cutting power to it 18 hours a day can save $25, based on a rate of 15 cents per kilowatt hour…
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https://www.electronichouse.com/article/intelligent_device_automates_energy_savings/C155