Green Technologies
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Intel, too, eyes home energy management |
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Intel has designs on the nascent home energy management business, following Google, Microsoft, Apple, Panasonic, and dozens of smaller tech companies. Intel last week launched a Web site dedicated to its Home Dashboard Concept, a touch-screen display designed to help families control and reduce energy use. The Atom-based device will let people record video messages to other family members and, through third-party applications, let people look up information on online yellow pages or track packages over the Internet.  Intel's Intelligent Home Energy Management Proof of Concept is an 11-inch touch screen that works like a remote control for home energy. The switch at the top lets people turn a home to 'away' mode, automatically adjusting security, thermostats, and cutting off stand-by power. (Credit: Intel) For Intel, the energy dashboard is another attempt to crack into the consumer electronics market. "Computing in the home is going to be a lot more than just the PC," Intel CEO Paul Otellini said during a brief demo of the energy dashboard at CES. Seeing a potential new revenue source, other tech companies are jockeying into home energy management with different technology approaches, a situation that's creating a crowded market of suppliers and myriad choices for consumers. Pike Research forecasts that there will be more than 28 million energy displays installed by 2015, with 11 million people accessing home energy data from Web-based dashboards and 2.6 million from mobile phones. A patent application from Apple, unearthed last week, described a system to optimize power for a network of electronics, such as laptops, solar chargers, and iPods. Apple characteristically is taking a somewhat unique approach, relying on a power line standard that would allow a dedicated Apple device to efficiently send power to plugged-in devices. Consumers could track electricity use and get ideas on how to reduce consumption through a small LCD screen, according to the patent. Microsoft and Google have developed Web applications for tracking home energy use, although they differ significantly in features. Microsoft is seeking to partner with utilities installing smart meters to offer its Hohm application to customers, who can get online access to utility bills and real-time snapshots of electricity use. For every consumer, though, Hohm provides recommendations on how to cut electricity and gas consumption, based on a lengthy questionnaire. Google's PowerMeter, by contrast, is geared mainly at surfacing usage information to help consumers find ways to cut back on bills. It has signed on with a few utilities and smart meter makers to offer the energy-tracking dashboard through smart meters. It also offers that data through a home-monitoring device called The Energy Detective (TED) from Energy Inc., a company that 3M's venture arm invested in last week. Whole-home monitoring
Intel's home energy dashboard is a more sophisticated version of existing whole-home monitoring products, such as TED. But Intel's approach suggests one route for getting the energy data promised by the smart grid without having to wait for smart meters to be installed and fully activated. The Home Dashboard Concept is an energy-efficient OLED touch screen hung on a wall that acts as a hub to manage and monitor a network of devices. Intel recommends that people purchase smart plugs which, through a wireless network, will allow the central console to monitor and control devices. Once plugged in, people can see how much power TVs and other major appliances use, and set goals for reducing use.  Intel's home energy dashboard concept would use smart plugs to connect appliances to a central console for energy monitoring and control. (Credit: Intel) Because the dashboard device is a Wi-Fi hub, it can get recommendations on how to reduce energy use from the Internet, according to the Intel demo. People click a switch to turn the house to "away" mode, turning all stand-by power off and adjusting the thermostat. Using the home energy dashboard, a household could save 30 percent on electricity bills, according to Chris O'Malley, a marketing manager at Intel's embedded and communications group. Although Intel's dashboard is still a concept, a number of other start-up companies, such as Control4 and OpenPeak, are already planning similar products, released either through utilities or appliance companies such as GE and Whirlpool. For all the activity, though, there remain questions about how much consumers are willing to pay to better manage home energy and whether Intel or any other tech provider can make money helping consumers save money. Blog By: Martin LaMonica is a senior writer for CNET's Green Tech blog. |
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Millions of homes to get energy efficiency displays |
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The days of learning about your electricity consumption once a month are the on the wane. Driven by consumer interest in energy and utility smart-grid programs, home energy information displays are poised to enter people's kitchens and living rooms in large numbers over the next few years, Pike Research forecast in a report on Thursday. The research company predicts there will be 28.1 million users of energy displays by 2015. About half of the users will have actual devices, while more than 11 million will access that information from Web-based dashboards and 2.6 million from mobile phones, according to Pike Research. The purpose of these displays is to guide consumers in lowering their energy consumption. Simply making people aware of their electricity use will drive people to make behavior changes to cut their utility bills and environmental footprint. Studies have found that a combination of more detailed information and utility-run incentive programs can help consumers shave between 5 percent and 15 percent off their bills. For example, a display might show that electricity usage is above normal at a given moment and send someone to turn off unused electronics. Getting historical data and information on different appliance usage, too, can lead people to make adjustments. More advanced home energy management systems will allow a person to program heating and cooling and to participate in utility efficiency programs to cut energy use during peak times. Still, since many of these products are still not on the market, it's not clear how effective they will be at improving home energy efficiency and whether consumers will continue to use them regularly. There are already a number of home energy monitoring devices which can cost anywhere from less than $100 to a few hundred dollars. But the field is getting crowded with a number of providers from very different fields. The smart-grid stimulus program is expected to result in over 1 million homes getting these displays for free from utilities. Both Microsoft and Google offer Web dashboards, although their functions vary. There are also dozens of companies, including a number of start-ups, which make devices or software to run on displays. In many cases, information is gathered through a smart meter, which has a two-way communications link with the utility. But in many smart-grid programs, utilities are not making detailed energy usage available to consumers in real time, in part because of security concerns, says smart-grid executives. Although the home networking standards are still in flux, many energy information display companies are developing gateways using home Internet connections to read existing meter data and software to provide efficiency recommendations to consumers. Martin LaMonica Martin LaMonica is a senior writer for CNET's Green Tech blog. He started at CNET News in 2002, covering IT and Web development. Before that, he was executive editor at IT publication InfoWorld |
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The Energy Whip Comes Down on TVs |
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 New Energy Star standards for energy-efficient TVs will save 40 to 65 percent in electricity.
Energy Star, the voluntary energy-efficiency program run by the United States’ EPA, has released the final specifications for much more stringent energy levels for TVs, starting in May 1, 2010, with even stricter standards to follow on May 1, 2012. TVs manufactured after those dates must meet the new requirements to bear the Energy Star logo, which signifies a more energy-efficient product. The new specs for TVs, called versions 4.0 and 5.0, respectively, are focused mainly around on-mode power consumption. The current Energy Star 3.0 specification that went into effect in November 2008 was the first to require TVs to meet maximum on-mode power consumption levels, though most TVs in the market met the standard and the specification has been considered too lenient. According to Energy Star, “TVs qualifying for Energy Star under the Version 4.0 specification will offer consumers a savings of more than 40 percent. When the Version 5.0 specification goes into effect, Energy Star-qualified TVs will be as much as 65 percent more efficient than models currently on the market.” Here’s a breakdown of the current on-mode levels TVs must meet to be Energy Star-certified, and those after May 2010 and May 2012: 20-inch screen
Version 3.0 (current)—66 watts (HDTVs)
Version 4.0 (May 2010)—37 watts
Version 5.0 (May 2012)—27 watts 32-inch screen
Version 3.0 (current)—120 watts (HDTVs)
Version 4.0 (May 2010)—78 watts
Version 5.0 (May 2012)—55 watts 42-inch screen
Version 3.0 (current)—208 watts (HDTVs)
Version 4.0 (May 2010)—115 watts
Version 5.0 (May 2012)—81 watts 50-inch screen
Version 3.0 (current)—318 watts (HDTVs)
Version 4.0 (May 2010)—153 watts
Version 5.0 (May 2012)—108 watts 60-inch screen
Version 3.0 (current)—391 watts (HDTVs)
Version 4.0 (May 2010)—210 watts
Version 5.0 (May 2012)—108 watts The new specs also require standby power of 1 watt or less (when the TV is off), as well as luminance (brightness) levels and energy requirements for TVs while in data acquisition mode (DAM), like retrieving TV Guide information. A small allowance in energy use is given to TVs that use automatic brightness control, which can dim a screen depending on the amount of ambient light in the room. About 30 percent of the current Energy Star TVs qualified under this option in the 3.0 specification, says Katharine Kaplan of the Energy Star program. Interestingly, the luminance requirement is for TVs in a home mode to use no less than 65 percent of the brightness of a retail (also called torch) mode, which uses a higher-power state with high brightness and contrast levels for viewing in retail environments. The reason for this, explains Kaplan, is to prevent a home mode that is too dim and forces users to turn it up, thereby using more electricity. It will be interesting to see whether the Energy Star requirements spur TVs—especially larger ones and more energy-dependent plasma-based models—to become more efficient. My guess is that many will. The future Energy Star specs, although voluntary, are much more stringent than California’s proposed energy level restrictions for TVs to be sold in that state. September 04, 2009 | by
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GE to Launch Entire Suite of Net Zero Energy Home Products by 2015 |
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08.24.2009 — GE wants to be the one-stop shop for energy products.
The company has announced that by 2015 it will develop a turnkey product portfolio that will enable the construction of net zero energy homes using a single supplier.
To achieve that goal, GE plans to add solar PV and residential wind products, along with “demand-response technology” that can allow homeowners to alter usage in real-time, to its existing portfolio of energy-efficient lighting and appliances.
GE Consumer & Industrial president and CEO James Campbell says smart-grid technology is “extremely critical to GE Energy."
The GE net zero energy home offerings will be comprised of three major groups within the product portfolio: - Energy Efficient Products—The company offers more than 550 Energy Star appliances and 271 Energy Star lighting models.
- Energy Generation/Storage Products—Other products by 2015 will include solar PV, advanced energy storage, next generation thin film solar and small wind power.
- Energy Management Products—GE plans to offer a full suite of demand-response appliances that will work with utility smart meters to help shed load from the grid during peak demand usage and pricing times. The products will work with smart meters to delay or reduce energy use without major interruption to consumer's lifestyles by giving the consumer control over their energy use.
Expected Impact
Residential housing consumes 37 percent of the electricity produced in the US. Appliances, lighting and HVAC represent 82 percent of electricity consumed in the home. In 2010, GE will introduce the Home Energy Manager, designed to be the “central nervous system for the net zero energy home” that will work in conjunction with all the other enabling technologies.
In addition, the company will introduce a line of smart thermostats, also available in 2010. Together, the devices will inform consumers when and how they are using energy and empower them to make decisions when they should use energy from the grid, use stored energy, and self generated energy. Up to 31 percent of the homes energy use comes from HVAC.
GE estimates these devices will reduce energy usage up to 30 percent in a typical home. The company will also be introducing highly efficient water heaters that can save the average home $250 per year.
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 Not long ago data centers were concerned with maximum density and processing power. But as electricity cost have risen and supply becoming a gating factor - the data center is changing ..
" ... companies have become increasingly concerned over the state of the environment.... new generation of servers: machines that deliver more performance per watt a nd, perhaps to a lesser degree, are built in a more environmentally responsible manner. Hardware makers are stepping up to meet the challenge, "  " ... HP, ... a new line of ProLiant G6 servers that, claims the company, deliver twice the performance of the previous generation of ProLiant servers -- while using half the energy. ... replacing servers purchased prior to 2006 with new HP ProLiant G6 servers, customers can slash their energy bills in half."
" ...HP is certainly not the only vendor touting the green credentials of its server hardware. ... AMD and Intel are working furiously to make CPUs that are high on performance and low on energy consumption." |
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