Plugwise announced the introduction of the Scan and the Sense in global markets.
According to company sources, user data collected from Plugwise customers shows that on average, almost half of the electricity consumed is not during office hours. In order to save on power consumption, it is imperative to switch appliances ‘on’ only when necessary.
The Plugwise system is capable of centralizing the control of energy consumption of individual devices. It enables the user to control all equipment that has been connected to Plugwise, from a single location, said officials in a release.
Company officials said that the Plugwise Scan light sensor and motion detector add more optimized features to the Plugwise system. Besides saving energy, it also helps to control the lighting with the Scan feature which employs motion detection and light levels. In addition, the Scan acts as a datalogger providing insight into optimal usage of the building.
The Scan provides information about the occupancy of office space and the equipment to the Plugwise system, in order to optimize the power consumed.The second product the Plugwise Sense is a new module for the Plugwise ZigBee network which assists in provision of facilities to measure temperature and relative humidity. It stores this data in its memory. The presence of Sense in the Plugwise system gives detailed insights into the evolution of the climatic conditions of individual rooms. This helps correct parameters to ensure complete comfort to occupants of the rooms.
Launched on July 4th, 2011, the Scan and Sense products also have long, durable batteries and allows alteration of remote settings in the software, added officials.
In related news, a group of 30 European companies and academic institutions recently established project ‘ENLIGHT’, a three-year program which is partly funded by the ENIAC Joint Undertaking and the ENIAC member States.
The project will leverage LED-based lighting in integrated lighting solutions beyond retrofit applications. This includes intelligent lighting systems. The aim is to further reduce energy consumption by up to an additional 40 percent compared to today’s LED systems.
Shamila Janakiraman is a contributing editor for TMCnet. To read more of Shamila’s articles, please visit her columnist page.
