July 11, 2012—Telkonet, Inc., a U.S.-based energy management technology provider and developer of the EcoSmart energy management platform, recently announced it has added the EcoGuard and EcoSwitch to its EcoSmart portfolio. The two new products will expand Telkonet’s line of advanced energy management solutions, which include intelligent thermostats, occupancy sensors, door contacts, and networking equipment, says the company.
The EcoGuard plug load control device resembles a standard wall outlet, while the EcoSwitch has the appearance of a traditional light switch. Both the EcoGuard and the EcoSwitch have the ability to stop the flow of power to overhead lights or electrical outlets based on a room’s occupancy status, a schedule, an event such as a load shed, or a signal from the property management system.
The EcoGuard wall outlets and EcoSwitch light switches integrate seamlessly with Telkonet’s existing wireless ZigBee platform to provide even greater control options for all types of energy consumption, including lighting, televisions, minibars and other in-room plug loads, says the company. In addition, the products will deliver detailed insight into in-room electrical usage at both the outlet-by-outlet and room-by-room levels.
Both products are also as versatile as they are energy saving. The EcoGuard and EcoSwitch have built-in power meters, allowing for real-time monitoring and detailed logging over time of financial savings, voltage, amperage, kilowatt hours (kWh) and other metrics. Additionally, says Telkonet, kW and kWh can be separated into off-peak, mid-peak and on-peak consumption, allowing a property to have a complete understanding of the energy used by individual devices in a room.
The EcoGuard, available in three in-wall configurations—120V 15-amp duplex, 240V 20-amp single and 120V/240V 20-amp hardwired—can be integrated with existing EcoSmart controls such as the EcoInsight intelligent thermostat, EcoWave wireless thermostat and EcoView occupancy sensors. By building upon a low-cost wireless ZigBee network, a property can control the heating and cooling energy consumption associated with unoccupied rooms, as well as any outlets or lighting that may be consuming power in unsold room or unoccupied rooms.
