The term "smart" may begin to rival "e", "i", and "dot" before long but as long as something real gets delivered with the "smart" that's probably fine. In this case, there may be something of value in Redwood City's thermostat fromEcoFactor. This is useful because people adjust their thermostat in inefficient ways - leaving them on when they're out, or unecessarily at night, etc. Even with timers on the thermostats there are opportunities for improvement.
Besides learning when homeowners tend to turn on their heat or air-conditioning, EcoFactor also monitors weather down to the zip code level. Every 60 seconds, its algorithms take that data and calculate how much electricity use can be reduced while keeping the occupants comfortable.
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One thing EcoFactor might do is “pre-cool” a house by turning on the air-conditioner for a period of time. That way, the home is comfortable when the owners return from work, and they won’t be tempted to adjust the thermostat just as demand reaches its peak.
John Steinberg, EcoFactor’s chief executive, estimates that the company can cut consumers’ electricity bills by as much as 30 percent. He said that number was based on trials EcoFactor conducted in climates as diverse as Minneapolis and Adelaide, Australia.
If this kind of thermostat becomes standard it could yield significant savings. NY Times Green Inc. has the story.
Rafael @www.climateatbay.net
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