Technology Reducing Home Energy Consumption

In the last year, I have blogged about technology devices that I have used and rated, along with the installation of LED light bulbs.  I am happy to report that I have replaced everybulb in my house with LED lightbulbs with the exception of two chandeliers.  The reduction in electricity usage has been more dramatic than I would have guessed.  I also added a Google Nest thermostat and Zuli Smartplugs to three electricity hog devices.  The cost of all of these energy upgrades is:

• $200 - Google Nest thermostat,
• $159 - Zuli Smartplugs (3 of them), which work with the Google Nest thermostat and smartphones,
• $25 - Hot water heater blanket, and
• $575 - LED lightbulbs.  For a total of
• $1,000 exclcuding taxes 

Total is roughly $1,000 of energy upgrades.  I have dropped from an energy consumer using more electricity than my neighborhood homes to below the energy efficient homes.  Yes, call me competitive, but this was a fun and extremely satisfying and rewarding project.  I can demonstrate the breakpoints of when the changes were begun and continued.  I can also determine when my energy hogs (sons) are home from college.  

Before anyone goes out and tries to make there home energy efficient with expensive devices, the most cost effective of all of the energy upgrades is the LED lighting.  Bulbs at Home Depot right now average $2.00 per bulb (65 watt standard bulb, meaning not flood light bulbs or special bulbs).  My costs are at an average of $5.00 per bulb and I waited for the sales or the subsidies and was very disciplined about my bulb purchasing.

If every American household were to now go out and purchase the bulbs, the energy savings within the US would be substantial.  So, substantial that the likelihood of additional power plants being built would decrease dramatically and we could focus on closing low efficiency coal-fired power plants.

I will provide specific data in the next blog.  Buy your bulbs today, and light up your green life.

Obama Rejects Keystone Pipeline - Is He Responsible for Future Oil Train Derailment Deaths?

The environment is important, but what about the people that live along the railroad route over which 100 unit oil trains pass everyday from North Dakota and elsewhere.  The safety factor of a pipeline is multitudes greater than that of rail.  Should anyone along these routes be killed in an oil train derailment, then the responsibility should go to the Administration.

Our government, party aside, has lost its marbles.  They govern and legislate from the hip and in knee-jerk fashion.  While households, small businesses and corporations plan and plan for contingencies, our government has no clue how to do that.  Why should they?  They can tax with impunity, change the rules to suit their politics, and preserve the crony political system.

What happens when the Administration or Congress govern and legislate from the hip, they miss the law of unintended consequences.  When one takes the time to actually plan for the future, they calculate the risks and rewards of an action.  This means they look at what the impact on one bill or action might have on something else.  Such an unintended consequence with this Keystone Pipeline rejection, will be that oil will now be forced to travel by road (near haul) and rail (distant haul).  The statistics for derailment and hence air and ground water pollution, death and destruction is massively in rail's favor when compared to pipeline.

So, when those who die from fires or explosions from a derailed oil train, don't solely blame the railroad companies, blame the Administration and Congress.  Now that's politics.

Product Review – Zuli Smartplug Presence Pack - 5 out of 5 Stars

I recently reviewed Belkin's WeMo Insight Switch (January 2, 2015) and LED Starting Kit and am continuing to review other products that I have purchased.  This review is about the Zuli Smartplug Presence Pack - a 3 plug package.

From start to finish, the experience was excellent.  As with Apple products and Nest products, the packaging was clean, environmentally sensitive and protective.  I purchased the Zuli Smartplug Presence Pack – a three pack. It does not get any easier than plug in the device to the power plug and then into the wall socket.  However, the little packet that I thought contained instructions, really only had technical warranty and disclaimers.  There were no installation or more appropriately iPhone/Android Zuli app instructions.  Instead, on the cover there was instruction to get the setup instructions from online.     

Download the Zuli app and walk through the setup instructions.  Zuli works/pairs with Google Nest smart thermostat.  As with the Google Nest, you can set the plugs to go on and shut off any time of the day or multiple times during the day.  But there’s more.

What makes this product significantly better than WeMo’s, beside the stellar software, is its use of Bluetooth and employs what the designers call Presence.  Quoting the web page, “Zuli Presence uses breakthrough algorithms to accurately and reliably pin-point your location within the home.  The Zuli app senses when you enter and exit the room and notifies the Smartplugs to perform your desired actions.  It is designed to learn over time and continuously train itself to enhance your experience.  The system becomes more predictive the longer you use the Zuli app.”

“Zuli leverages Bluetooth Smart to provide the simplest way for anyone to make their home more intelligent.  Setup takes seconds (20 seconds for each room that you have installed the plug).  Literally, Zuli Smartplugs do not rely on WiFi, so there’s no need to fuss with router configuration settings.  Direct communication between your smartphone and Smartplugs ensures instanteous control.”

Not only can you set each plug to recognize your smartphone’s Bluetooth signature, you can setup each family member’s smartphone to be recognized by each plug as well.   The significance of this, is that the programmed times can be over-ridden by the presence of the smartphone.  So, it’s Friday night and you have your friends over for a Star Wars marathon.  Your TV, DVR, surround sound system are all connected to the Smartplug and it is approaching the programmed shut-off time.  The time passes and the equipment is still on because of Presence.  When Episode VI is over, your friends leave and you head upstairs for bed.  The Smartplug recognizes that you have left the room (you walked around the room for 20 seconds during the setup session to outline the dimensions of it) and turns the equipment off.  It’s Saturday morning and you wanted to watch Episode VI again.  You walk into the room, before the preprogrammed time, the Smartplug senses your presence and the equipment turns on.  This is excellent.

While you are watching the movie, everyone else wakes up and leaves for a lacrosse game (you have another commitment later).  You finish the movie and are the last one to leave the house.  Google Nest, your smart thermostat, senses you leaving and turns off the heat.  Again, this is excellent.

The iPhone/Android app is very clear and easy to navigate.  The software has an on-board energy metering processor, which provides accurate real-time energy measurement of any device that is plugged in (I have a Monster Power Home theater electric filtering device plugged into the Smartplug, with my TV, PlayStation, Apple TV, surround sound receiver all plugged into the Monster Power).  Zuli analyzes how I use my devices and estimates my monthly bill based on my usage patterns, and energy pricing for my current zip code.  The longer I continue to use my Zuli Smartplugs, the more accurate the estimates become.

The Smartplug also has dimmer light controls with each Smartplug.  The Zuli designers as with the Google Nest designers have designed the software for expansion as new devices are brought to market.

If you have ever been to a European hotel, the newer hotels use a room key card as the on off switch for all of the electricity in the hotel room.  Instead of a room key card, you have your smart phone, smart plug and smart thermostat all working together shutting off your electrical devices as you leave the house or re-enter it.

Product review: Zuli Smartplug Presence Pack

Cost: $159 plus tax.

Rating: 5 out of 5.

Pros:

Clean look.

Simple installation.

Simple to program.

The iPhone/Android software is clean, straightforward and easy to use.

Works with Google Nest and is expandable.

Cons:

Cost is a bit pricey, but is at the same pricing point of similar smartplugs.

Conclusion:
I really enjoy these devices and have replaced the WeMos with the Zuli Smartplug Presence Pack.  They are plug and play and plug and leave.  Now, let’s see how much energy I save.