Home energy

After finding out what your friends did over the weekend, you'll be able to see how they're doing reducing their home energy use.

Facebook, Opower, and environmental advocacy group the Natural Resources Defense Council today announced a "social energy" application designed to raise awareness of energy use and encourage efficiency.

The Opower-developed application, which will be available early next year through Facebook's Green page, will let people compare how their energy usage compares to the national average and to other people who participate. To build a profile, people input their electric utility information in either … Read more

Columbia University researchers assert that tech breakthroughs in recent years now make sending trash to landfills a waste of energy.

While recycling and energy recovery from plastics is on the rise, about 86 percent of used plastics are still sent to landfills. It's a big waste considering its energy potential, according to the 33-page report, "Energy and Economic Value of Non-recycled Plastics and Municipal Solid Wastes that are Currently Landfilled in Fifty States" (PDF).

About 28.8 million tons of non-recycled plastics were sent to landfills in 2008, the energy potential equivalent of 36.7 million tons … Read more

MAKUHARI, Japan--Following the March 11 quake and tsunamis in Japan that caused widespread power shortages, the Ceatec 2011 electronics trade show outside Tokyo is taking up electricity savings as a major theme.

Nissan's NSH-2012 Smart House of the Future concept is part of a Smart Community Zero zone showcasing technologies that operate off the power grid.

The house stands on stilts to maximize space, with a parking area underneath it. Aside from solar and fuel cells that help make the home independent of the power grid, the polyhedral structure can draw electricity from the battery of an electric car such as the Nissan Leaf. … Read more

Google has created a $75 million fund with Clean Power Finance, a company that offers financing for residential solar panel installations.

The investment will enable 10,000 homeowners to install solar panels on their homes.

The upfront cost is the largest obstacle to installing residential solar panels, and solar installation companies don't always have the means to offer financing. Clean Power Finance seeks to overcome that hurdle by offering installers a way to provide financing to potential customers, while also giving companies without ties to the solar community a way to invest in the industry.

Google, the investor in … Read more

At a ceremony attended by San Francisco Mayor Edwin Lee, Greenstart showcased its first four investments in green tech.

The green-tech incubator, which has been described as a Y Combinator for green tech, had announced in June it was looking for ideas that could produce what is known as fast startups--small, nimble companies that are "capital efficient and capable of generating revenue in 12 months or less."

Yesterday afternoon, Greenstart announced its first picks.

The Picowatt from Tenrehte Technologies is a Wi-Fi-enabled plug with the ability to collect and send data over a home network. It enables electronic … Read more

Lighting manufacturer Lighting Science Group today unveiled a new LED light for ceilings.

The 15-watt Glimpse LED light is intended to replace 65-watt BR30 lights, and can be retrofit into most preexisting 5- to 6-inch recessed lighting cans or a J-Box. The light is dimmable down to 5 percent lighting capacity, according to the company.

The Energy Star-qualifying bulb is also "fully recyclable" and free of toxic chemicals, according to Lighting Science Group. Like almost all LEDs, it is also free of mercury.

The Glimpse LED is currently available via HomeDepot.com for $37. For a full list … Read more

Unlike many companies that discourage the repair and reselling of items, outdoor gear retailer Patagonia has decided to not only tolerate, but even sanction the practice.

Patagonia announced today it's partnering with eBay to open a marketplace for the company's used products as part of its sustainability plan.

The online eBay store is called the Common Threads Initiative. It's open to any eBay sellers wishing to sell genuine Patagonia products. By signing on to a pledge, community sellers will be given a badge on their post and included under the store's umbrella, as well as promoted … Read more

Could TerraCycle and Guerillapps have hit upon the next FarmVille?

The Trash Tycoon Facebook game that launched yesterday challenges players to find and recycle trash that can be used to make eco-friendly products that translate into game money and points. Its sponsors include TreeHugger and the CarbonFund.org, as well as TerraCycle.

The game, developed by Guerillapps, was a finalist at VentureBeat's GamesBeat 2011 startup contest, and you can see why. The game provides a clever introduction to the lucrative possibilities of upcycling, the use of recyclable elements to make new products. (One nit: the horrible music. I had to mute it.)

Trash Tycoon has players collecting glass, organic, plastic, architectural elements, paper, and jewelry. By using other tools like worms for composting, players are shown the kinds of useful products that can be made from recyclable goods.

The game mimics TerraCycle's real-world business model.

The New Jersey-based company is known for its recycling "brigades" in which anyone can mail in recyclable items needed by TerraCycle in exchange for two cents per item being sent to their charity of choice. Shipping for the items is paid for by TerraCycle. Using any box, participants simply print out a label for it, and mail in their items.

Using this method, TerraCycle has made the Garbage Garbage can, a garbage can made from old chip bags and the rubber elastic left over from the production of baby diapers. Other products includes bicycle chain picture frames, Capri Sun drink bag totes, pencil cases from cookie wrappers, circuit board coasters, Clif Bar duffel bags, and Kashi place mats, to name a few from its hundreds of quirky-looking products.

The game has a real-world component as well.

People who contribute recyclable waste to TerraCycle's real-life brigades and facilities will earn game points.

Just like TerraCycle's real-world product placement advertising in which it utilizes wrapper logos to contribute to product design as with its Skittles Eco Kite and Target ReTote, the Facebook game will also feature sponsorship by showing trash wrappers with various brand logos, according to Guerillapps. … Read more

Energy management platform developer EnergyHub announced today it has raised $14.5 million in Series B funding from a pool of both previous and new investors.

The Brooklyn-based company makes a home energy management system and smart-thermostat software accessible via the Web, and compatible with mobile devices including the Android and iOS platforms. EnergyHub also offers cloud servicing to complement them. EnergyHub is similar to Tendril in that it plans to offer a suite of home energy management hardware including smart outlets, home displays, smart thermostats, and load control devices for utilities. EnergyHub also offers smart power strips.

EnergyHub supports ZigBee smart meters and legacy AMR meters that have an Itron ERT meter inside. The reason for this is that those are currently the most prevalent meters being used in the U.S. In Texas, in particular, over 6 million smart meters using ZigBee should be installed in homes by the end of 2013, while approximately 25 million Itron ERT meters are in use across the U.S., according to EnergyHub's marketing director Eric Fleming.

But having a smart meter in one's home is not required to use EnergyHub, according to Fleming.

"We have early customers who are using the system independent of meter connectivity and are realizing energy savings by plugging their appliances like window air conditioners, dehumidifiers, TVs, and other devices into our sockets and strips to monitor and control them remotely. The biggest opportunity to save in the home is with the Home Base plus Wireless Thermostat, which helps people easily put the home on an energy-saving schedule that automatically controls heating and cooling," he said.… Read more