Curbing energy demand at the source

When we think of solutions for our energy future, many of us
see visions of wind turbines, solar panels, geothermal pipes, and possibly
nuclear power plants.

That's the supply side, but innovators are working just as
hard and creatively on the demand side. Managing our energy demand can yield
dramatic benefits and more immediate ones.

A case in point is EnergyHub of Brooklyn, NY, which we featured
in today's news release.
The company’s  EnergyHub Dashboard, one of TIME magazine’s Best
Inventions of 2009, makes it easy for homeowners to control their energy
usage, from the furnace to the last cell phone charger, with utter simplicity. It can also receive helpful information from utilities
about one’s usage.

The
dashboard serves as the consumer face to the smart grid. In
addition to saving energy and reducing consumers’ electric bills, it also helps
tamp the down peak energy requirements that trigger the building of new power plants.
Here are the dashboards,  designed
in SolidWorks software. Pretty slick.