Powerhouse Dynamic’s eMonitor energy monitoring system is finally shipping without backorders. As of last week, reports Powerhouse Dynamics CEO Martin Flusberg, the company had shipped 330 units and had 58 dealers signed up.
Unlike many basic energy monitoring systems making their way to the market, the eMonitor can monitor electricity at the circuit level. Others simply provide a total of one’s electrical usage, and perhaps graphs to deduce what caused spikes in energy consumption.
The suggested retail for the eMonitor is $499 for 12 sensors, with a subscription of $189 for two years, and $699 for 24 sensors, with a $249 charge for a two-year subscription. As part of the subscription, Powerhouse Dynamics provides energy usage data down to the minute, carbon footprint comparisons with state averages, and it can send alerts to owners when certain appliances or products are using more electricity and may need to be serviced or replaced.
The company started shipping its eMonitors in March, but had to change manufacturers to keep up with demand. Flusberg says the company’s goal is to sell 400 units by the end of June and 2,000 by the year’s end. That’s a start, but the company will have to generate much bigger sales numbers in the long-term, as this is definitely a big-market play. Flusberg says the company is in talks with homebuilders and two cities that have received stimulus funding, which would boost sales. He says solar installers appear very interested in using the eMonitors as an add-on to solar PV (photovoltaic) systems.
Studies of energy monitors show that just by having immediate feedback of their electricity use, people will save 5 percent to 15 percent on their electric bills. Powerhouse Dynamics’ Flusberg says he has received anecdotal stories of 30 percent in energy savings.
Related stories:
How to motivate energy efficiency
Do energy monitors really work?
