Earth Networks Develops DIY Home Energy Monitoring Device

When devices are smart and designed to connect easily to the Internet, monitoring them is a fairly straightforward endeavor. When devices aren’t smart, it’s a little more difficult to understand how much energy they are consuming among other activities. That’s why Whisker Labs (a new division under Earth Networks) has developed a sensor that can monitor any device in the home—smart or non-smart.

The product is a patented breakthrough DIY home intelligence device and platform that delivers accurate, real-time power usage and diagnostic information for each appliance – without costly and complex professional installation. With connected devices representing less than 10% of all devices in the home, the over-whelming majority of devices in the home remain offline. By mining energy data for appliance level intelligence, Whisker Labs’ sensing technology brings non-connected devices online for applications related to energy consumption, fault detection, and overall home efficiency to the mass market.

The Whisker Labs home intelligence platform delivers several unique benefits:

• Affordable and easy-to-install– Consumers simply affix a sensor to their electrical panel or breaker box, and it starts measuring real-time power consumption of appliances in the home by sensing power as it flows through that breaker box. There is no contact with underlying circuits or the main power lines, so installation is fast and safe.
• Provides peace of mind and safety – Through real-time insights on the energy use and health of each home appliance via a mobile app, the home intelligence platform can help consumers pre-empt appliance breakdowns and avoid catastrophic failures.
• Enhances energy insights and savings – Appliance-level energy monitoring enabled through Whisker Labs’ energy sensing significantly advances the optimization and insights of the ConnectedSavings℠Intelligent Demand Side platform, deepening HVAC disaggregation and boosting automated energy savings.

  “Today, every appliance and every device in the home is connected to the power network.  The problem is, that network is not accessible and the power data it holds is locked.  We are excited to open this power network and connect it to the internet through one simple device,” says Bob Marshall, CEO of Earth Networks. “Our breakthrough device and software platform unlocks the full potential of a smart home by collecting and analyzing health intelligence data from both legacy ‘unconnected’ appliances and optimizing newer ‘connected’ appliances and devices.”

The Whisker Labs home energy monitoring device will be available to business partners such as utilities, solar and energy companies, home automation providers and insurance companies in early 2017. It will be made available to consumers later in 2017.

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