UFO Power Center Controls Energy Via iPhone & iPad
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Energy Digital has stressed time and time again the significant amount of energy that can be saved by simply remembering to turn off appliances both at home and in the office. While it may come as common sense to some, in the hectic routine of everyday life it is entirely too easy to leave work and forget to switch off the computer or desk lamp. However, a new simple to use smart power strip is taking the idea of mobile control of appliances to the next level, and offering the technology at a price that anyone can afford.
The UFO Power Center is the next generation smart strip that interfaces seamlessly with the iPhone or iPad. The unit’s sleek design houses four 110 Volt standard three-prong power sockets within its UFO-looking outer shell. The energy used by each socket is measured separately and logged. The device interfaces with any nearby Wi-Fi network and will provide real-time monitoring capabilities through the free iPhone or iPad app available on Visible Energy Inc.’s product website (www.energyufo.com).
In fact, the UFO Power Center allows customers to track both Watts and kilowatt-hours for the past day, week, or even months, continually saving energy usage data every five minutes.
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To put this in perspective, at a cost of 18 cents per kilowatt-hour, a reduction of even just 100 Watts of energy consumption per year can equal $150 in savings. A device as commonplace as your home theater DVR use about 1 kilowatt-hour per day, which translates to $5 per month.
The Santa Barbara Community Environmental Council says, “We use the UFO to monitor energy use in our conference room. We have a computer, large monitor, and lighting plugged into the Energy UFO. It's great to be able to see the energy used by each device and take steps to modify our energy use when necessary.”
The coolest feature of the UFO Power Station is its ability to control your appliances while away from home or the office. Turn your office lamp off with your iPad from home, or shut down your home washing machine from the office with your iPhone. You can also set timers that remotely tell the UFO when to shut down appliances. It can even detect when appliances like computers or mobile phones are finished charging or are in standby mode and turn off power automatically.
