EcoFactor pings thermostats to save energy

Start-up EcoFactor is looking at home energy management as a big math problem.

The Silicon Valley-based company on Tuesday is formally launching and is announcing that the largest utilty in Texas, Oncor, has signed on with EcoFactor's residential energy-management service for three years.

There are several companies developing Web-based software or displays to show consumers, in more detail than a monthly bill, how much energy they are using.

A conduit for gathering data.

(Credit: Carrier )

EcoFactor's software, by contrast, works behind the scenes by gathering data from a two-way thermostat and then analyzing the information to optimize heating and cooling systems, which often account for about half of home electricity use.

Collecting thousands of pieces of information a day helps create a picture of a home's "thermal characteristics" and make heating and cooling systems run 20 percent to 30 percent more efficiently, said Scott Hublou, the company's senior vice president of products and co-founder. Even homeowners who have programmed thermostats can benefit because the analysis is customized for a single home, he said.

"People want to do the right thing but they don't necessarily have all the answers, which depends a lot on the thermal characteristics of the house and the mechances of the HVAC (heating, ventilation, and air conditioning) systems. Sometimes it's the best guess," Hublou said.

EcoFactor combines thermostat settings and information on weather forecasts to run HVAC systems more efficiently. For example, in a trial it found that in two nearly identical homes it was more efficient to turn on the air conditioner one hour before residents came home, rather than to run it at a slightly higher temperature all day long. People can also override settings, which is another piece of data the software uses.

To use the service, consumers need to have a two-way thermostat that can send data over a home broadband connection to EcoFactor's hosted application, which is written on the open-source LAMP stack.

EcoFactor plans to offer the service through business partners, including utilities. There are also a number of service providers, notably telecom operators and cable companies, that are looking to offer home energy-management services to existing customers.

In the deal with Oncor, the software will be used as part of demand-response program in Texas in which customers get a discount to cut electricity use during peak times, typically the middle of a hot day when the air conditioning load on the system is high.

Rather than adjust thermostats higher during peak times, the EcoFactor software will be able to "pre-cool" homes in anticipation of the demand-response event, which should make it more comfortable for people participating in the progam, Hublou explained. Altogether, the software will be used to cut three megawatts of peak power, the equivalent of about 2,000 average-size air conditioner units.

EcoFactor, which was founded three years ago, is funded by angel investors. The company is now in the process of trying to raise a series A round of venture capital.

[euspos]

Anticipated pre-cooling is nifty and can probably save huge on peak electricity demands in many areas. But, likely more important than a smart thermostat, is to ensure that an installation is properly designed (and installed) from the ground up. Far too many homes have furnaces that are too large (+windows and doors that are leaky), and hence furnaces tend to cycle (run in short bursts of time) instead of running more or less continously. With forced air heat/cooling, even small systems (I would even say traditionally underdimensioned) can relatively quickly take down/up the temperature so it FEELS comfortable, and then allow the furnace to continue running toactually "heat" the house (not just heating the air, but heating the "mass" of the house).

[jlee888]

"For example, in a trial it found that in two nearly identical homes it was more efficient to turn on the air conditioner one hour before residents came home, rather than to run it at a slightly higher temperature all day long."

You have now told the consumer what they need to know. So WHY would they subscribe to the pricey service just to arrive at the exact same conclusion??

[mlamonica]

Well, the point is that it's customized to a single home. Rules of thumb can go a long way but this company says that they can build a profile based on ongoing data.

[miltonbevington]

What's driving interest by utilities is the demand management potential of 2-way communications -- that is, the ability for the utility to control their load profile and costs by turning down your appliances. To control costs and comply with mandates, utilities may ultimately offer concessions to users who subscribe to an agreement that displays energy use, but more importantly gives them limited control over the operation of home appliances. "Intelligent" rolling blackouts as it were.

[avdhesh_patel]

hermostat in your home is one of the easiest ways you can save energy and money. your investment many times over in energy savings. It?s a simple project that means more money in the bank <a href="http://http://www.prothermostats.com/">programmable thermostats</a>It is good product for your Home

[fdunn3]

Thank you for your continuing coverage of devices to help consumers lower their power utilization.

This is a VERY hot topic and is just in it's infancy as most energy providers do not have "smart meters" in place yet.

Fred Dunn