by Megan Gill | Oct 31, 2014 | Customer Success Stories
Eyedro’s Business Electricity Monitors help manage electricity costs in a large warehouse.
A recent Eyedro customer wanted to use Eyedro’s Business Electricity Monitors to help manage their energy costs in a large warehouse. After taking measurements over a period of a couple of months, they noticed a curious pattern in their MyEyedro energy data.
Upon further investigation, they realized that the energy usage dropped dramatically in one of the facility’s blowers. After looking over some maintenance records they discovered that cleaning the air filter on blower motor reduced electricity consumption by over 1000 kWh per day.
As a result, they implemented new maintenance procedures which called for more frequent cleaning of the air filters, saving them over $25,000 in annual energy costs.
by Megan Gill | Oct 30, 2014 | Blog, Customer Success Stories, Electricity Monitoring, Eyedro Case Study
Home Security on the Go with Eyedro Real-Time Electricity Monitoring Systems
Bob and Trudy originally purchased an Eyedro electricity monitor to help keep an eye on their hydro usage and costs. This was especially important since they liked to travel a lot and wanted the peace of mind of knowing how much electricity their home was consuming while away. Eyedro real-time electricity monitoring provided Bob and Trudy with home security on the go!
This past winter Bob and Trudy were wintering in Arizona. It was a typical morning for Bob, he was reading the paper and checking MyEyedro to see how much electricity his Canadian home had used the previous couple of days.
Who’s helping themselves to your hot tub while you’re away? Get an Eyedro real-time electricity monitor for home security on the go!
To Bob’s surprise he noticed that each morning at about 9AM there was a large spike in electricity usage. After a few more days of this pattern, Bob decided to phone up a neighbor and ask if they could pop by the house the next morning to see which appliances were automatically turning on.
The next day Bob’s neighbor ventured over, on a mission to discover which appliance was the culprit. The neighbor went from room to room, listening for the whirrs and hums of sump pumps, fridges and clocks but couldn’t find anything out of the ordinary. Just as the neighbor was about to give up he decided to check the backyard.
Looking towards the back, the neighbor could see that Bob’s hot tub was open and someone was taking a soak. As it turns out, Bob had hired a contractor to complete some work while they were away. The contractor was using the hot tub each morning before getting on with his work.
With Eyedro, Bob and Trudy were able to keep control of what was going on in their home, even when they were miles away.
by Megan Gill | Sep 8, 2014 | Blog, Electricity Bill
Dating as far back as the 13th century, coffee is undeniably entrenched in everything we do. Catching up with a friend? Coffee. Important business meeting? Coffee. Trying to function before 9 AM? You guessed it…coffee.
You may have also noticed that over the past few years, there has been a dramatic shift back to brewing coffee at home. Those wanting to ditch the drive-thru, while saving some hard-earned dollars in the process, are turning to single-cup coffee makers like Keurig and Tassimo.
With these darling devices being touted as the holy grail of cost-savings and convenience, here at Eyedro we wanted to take a look at the true cost of powering single-cup coffee makers, and what we found was actually pretty surprising.
Below is a graphical representation of the electricity being used to power our CTO’s home. Using Eyedro’s Real-Time Electricity Monitors and cloud service, it’s easy to zoom in and see how individual appliances actually draw energy when they are being used.
When the coffee maker first powers on, you can see an initial spike. This is the electricity used to initially heat the water from cold to hot.
After the coffee maker is finished heating up you’re ready to go, but take a look at all the blue lines. Each blue line is the machine using electricity to reheat the water to maintain the perfect brewing temperature. This is why the coffee is always fresh, fast, and ready at the touch of a button. But whoopsies, looks like someone forgot to turn off the machine and the auto-shut-off feature won’t kick in for about an hour.
Using our convenient What’s It Cost calculator, it’s easy to see just how much electricity is used to reheat your coffee maker. From the live data provided by Eyedro’s Real-Time Electricity Monitor, we see that the machine uses 640W of electricity to reheat the water for about 10 seconds, every minute or so.
All we have to do is plug in the information, hit calculate, and boom – now you know that if you’re relying on the auto-shutoff feature you could be wasting an extra $92 a year on electricity, which could have bought you about 51 large coffees from Tim Hortons.
Just think that for every idle, hidden, or inefficient appliance drawing power in your home or business, there could be thousands of dollars worth of savings just ripe for the picking. So if you’re interested in real-time energy monitoring for your home or business, we’re here to help. Head on over to our products page to get started or simply click below.
To ensure that your appliances last a long time and use energy efficiently, they must be maintained properly. Here are some tips to help you keep your appliances in tip-top shape.
by Megan Gill | Aug 18, 2014 | Customer Success Stories
If you graduated high school before 2010 and don’t have little ones, then it’s probably been a while since you’ve roamed the halls of your local public schools. And if you’re curious about how the next generation of energy users are learning about conservation today, then you’ll want to keep reading.
This past year, Avon Maitland District School Board (AMDSB) began rolling out new energy management initiatives in accordance with the Ontario Green Energy Act (legislation calling on all Provincial public institutions to plan and execute energy conservation strategies).
With the goal of managing their schools in the most eco-friendly way possible, AMDSB wanted an easy-to-use, cost-effective solution to monitor and control energy consumption across 40+ buildings. Today, Eyedro’s Real-Time Electricity Monitors are helping AMDSB see how much energy is being used in individual schools, as well as cumulatively across the entire Board– all in real-time.
But AMDSB isn’t stopping there. While real-time electricity monitoring is now helping the Board make informed energy management decisions (resulting in a projected savings of $100,000+ in the first year alone), AMDSB is going a step further, proactively using electricity monitoring as a teachable moment.
In May 2014, AMDSB met at South Huron District High School for C.L.A.Y. 2014, a student conference teaching students about environmental stewardship. Students participated in eco based team building exercises, learned about real-time energy monitoring with Eyedro’s monitoring tools, and discussed ways to make schools even more environmentally friendly in the future.
As students begin returning to schools this fall, AMDSB will continue to integrate real-time energy monitoring into classroom activities, setting a great example for other institutions and families embarking on energy conservation initiatives of their own.
Looking for Real-Time Energy Management Solutions?
If you’re interested in real-time energy monitoring for your home or business, we’re here for you. Head on over to our products page to get started.
by Megan Gill | Aug 8, 2014 | Blog
Trevor Orton, CEO Eyedro Green Solutions Inc.
In May 2014, Eyedro had the privilege of attending the White House Energy Datapalooza event in Washington, DC. The annual forum gives hundreds of like-minded innovators, thought-leaders and key decision makers the opportunity to collaborate and showcase ideas about energy data standards and applications.
Eyedro joined over 40 other technology innovators to highlight how open access to energy data, combined with innovative technologies, can be used to tackle some of the most pressing social, environmental and economic issues facing North America today.
So What is Energy Data?
Traditionally, information about your energy use (a.k.a energy data) arrives from your utility provider in the form of a bill at the end of a set usage period. It’s a high level summary which typically includes: total amount of energy used, price per unit consumed (usually kilowatt hours) and some additional fees or taxes. The problem with this model is that you only see your consumption and costs after the fact, making it nearly impossible to make in the moment decisions to reduce or change your usage.
This is exactly the problem that spawned the development of technological solutions in both the private and public sector. Smart Meters, which automatically collect and transmit energy data back to your utility provider, are replacing traditional gauge meters across North America. Similarly, devices like Eyedro’s Real-Time Electricity Monitors, collect energy data and can be installed by consumers without the help of a utility provider.
Why is Open Access to Energy Data So Important?
With millions of Smart Meters and Energy Monitors now collecting energy data, we are sitting on an untapped goldmine of information that, if used intelligently, has the potential to revolutionize how we produce and consume energy. Eyedro is helping tap this resource by taking part in new initiatives, such as the Green Button Initiative. Green Button, a part of the White House’s Energy Data Initiative, seeks to standardize and liberate energy data.
Working together, utility providers and technology innovators, like Eyedro, are creating tools that give consumers easy and secure access to energy use information from devices like smartphones and desktop computers. Combining energy data with innovative technologies, like real-time monitoring, is important because it allows us to find powerful solutions to vital problems like climate change, energy supply and rising costs – just to name a few.
As it Turns Out, Knowledge Really is Power
With access to real-time energy data it is becoming easier for consumers and businesses across North America to understand how they are using and saving energy. Empowering consumers with this knowledge means they have the ability make smart choices, and in the end helps:
- Reduce Energy Waste
- Cut Energy Costs
- Minimize Environmental Impact
- Utility Providers Meet Energy Demands
Gone are the days where, if your bill seems high, you have to think back on the last month or two and remember every possible detail. With tools like Eyedro Real-Time Electricity Monitors, energy management is as simple as reaching for your smartphone, seeing your actual energy use, and taking action – before you get stuck with the bill.
Looking for Real-Time Energy Management Solutions?
If you’re interested in real-time energy monitoring for your home or business, we’re here for you. Head on over to our products page to get started now.
