Putting the “Power” in the Hands of the Homeowner
We’re employing technology to monitor the success of our energy reduction strategies. And, with this technology, homeowners can monitor, modify and remotely control many aspects of their home including appliances, thermostats and overall energy consumption. Energy waste is a notorious culprit in not only bumping up energy costs, but also contributing to carbon emissions that lead to climate change.
For us, it’s not enough just saying we build high-performing homes with significantly lower energy demands. We think knowing is far better. In August, we began testing this sophisticated energy monitoring technology in a Carmel home—Central California’s first certified Passive House.
After just one month of energy monitoring, the homeowners are already reaping the benefits. The measurements can be traced to specific usage points. In this home, we saw their living/dining room plugs were drawing the largest load of power. We suggested they use a power strip rather than plugging directly into the wall so they could easily turn everything off when they were going to be away from the home.
The monitors collect data 60 times each second, then it’s averaged and updated on the dashboard every minute—yielding real time data. While we were at the home, the owner unplugged the TV and stereo and within a couple of minutes we saw the draw of the living/dining room plugs drop by around 30 percent. A gratifying start to what we view as an important addition to the services we offer homeowners.
The more information we have to limit energy waste, the further along we will be—as individuals, as a company and as communities—in creating healthy indoor air quality and comfort and reducing our negative impact on the environment.
Want to know more? Send us an email at info@carmelbuilding.com.
