Bermuda Engineering Company (BEC) has won the island’s 2011 Best Use of Green Tech award for its ‘Energy Detective’.
The company is the exclusive distributor of the device in Bermuda, which can save people up to 15 per cent on their electricity bills.
The Energy Detective (TED) is manufactured by US company Energy Inc and is a home electricity monitor that gives real-time feedback on how much power you are using.
You can load profiles for up to five appliances and it also provides utility bill projections, helping you to budget and reduce your usage.
Savings
The device has two main components. A Measure Transmitting Unit in your breaker panel measures your household energy usage and transfers the data over the power line to a Gateway device. This transmits the signal via wireless to your handheld display.
TED can not only detect ‘phantom loads’ but can also identify which appliances ‘hog’ your usage.
BEC sells TED for $345 and it takes less than two hours to install.
Stuart Kriendler, BEC manager and solar specialist, said: “I have one in my house and every time you walk by you can’t help but look at it, so it makes you think about your energy usage.
“If you see anything above 1,000 watts at a rest period (no major power sources/appliances on), this is a lot, and so it makes you want to investigate further to see if you have left something on.
“For example, in Bermuda people may leave dehumidifiers and closet heaters on.”
Mr Kriendler said TED can store data for up to 10 years. The facility can also profile five items, such as your fridge or water heater, to help you in identifying the money-guzzlers.
“There are also third party applications to put this data on your smart phone and so monitor your power usage remotely.” He said: “TED connects to the main feed from Belco and measures the voltage coming through in real time.
“You can programme it to tell you how much money this electricity equates to, which helps people realize how much they are using and what they can do to reduce their bills. It encourages people to turn things off.
“In an independent study of 10 users, the average person ended up saving 10-15 per cent on their electricity bill.
“If people get a solar electricity system and are not sure how much they are actually saving, TED can also tell them this, through a separate sensor.
“TED appeals to people who are into the latest gadgets but it is also user-friendly for technophobes, as they can just walk around with it in the palm of their hand.”
BEC received its Technology Innovation Award during TechWeek 2011. The company was picked from 122 nominations in nine categories as the winner of Best Use of Green Tech.
“We are honoured to win this award and are proud to represent TED as we strive to make Bermuda a stronger, more sustainable country,” said Travis Burland, BEC director and chief engineer.
Dolph Rodenberg, president of Energy Inc, said: “We have worked closely with Bermuda Engineering Co Ltd on providing affordable electricity management systems and we’re excited to see the rapid growth of electricity monitoring in Bermuda.”
For more information go to www.bermudaengineering.com or www.theenergydetective.com, or call BEC on 292-2067/279-5907.