Energy Aware: The Power is in Your Hands
Publish Date: October 2009
The electronic device fits in the palm of a hand, but it holds the power to change the way people use energy and reduce their environmental footprints at home.
The device, called PowerTab, is a wireless display that provides real-time feedback about energy use in the home, allowing residents to see instantly how much power they are using - and how much it is costing them.
Developed by Vancouver-based Energy Aware Technology, PowerTab will be installed in every residence in the Millennium Water development, which will be used as the Athlete’s Village during the 2010 Winter Games.
It is the first major installation for the company founded three years ago by a group of friends who connected at the University of B.C. and came up with an idea to create a product that could monitor energy consumption in the home.
Instead of a wall-mounted device, PowerTab can be carried around the house. On its screen, residents can see how much electricity they are using, as well as how much energy they are consuming to heat or cool their home. It also monitors water use and calculates the energy cost. And when appliances or lights are turned off, it instantly shows the savings.
"Everybody recognizes that it’s easier to teach conservation than to provide more resources," said Colin McKerracher, business development manager for Energy Aware. "Studies show that by giving real-time feedback, you can reduce energy consumption by 20 per cent. This is putting energy consumption into people’s hands."
McKerracher said the company won the contract to install PowerTab in the development after a green building consultant attended a presentation about the device at Simon Fraser University. The consultant helped Energy Aware connect with Merrick Architecture, which was leading leading the design team for the project, and the company was chosen to supply PowerTab for about 1,200 residential units.
"It is definitely exciting," McKerracher said. "The Olympic Village is a great showcase for our technology - obviously there are going to be a lot of eyes on Vancouver."
Winning the contract for the Athlete’s Village boosted the small local company’s confidence and they are now starting to hear from property developers interested in installing PowerTab, which works with BC Hydro’s new Smart Meters to track consumption.
"This has made a big impact for us," McKerracher said. "Our hope is that this will not only give us publicity, but it will also get the message out that home resource monitoring can make a difference - it is done easily with dramatic effect.
"The environmental part is really important to us. It’s the real driving factor behind all of our motivation."
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