What are the Different Types of Energy Management Products?

Energy management products are designed to let a user know if his or her carbon footprint is too big. These technological tools are installed in a residence or a business to monitor and communicate energy patterns in a streamlined fashion. For the person or groups of people who are interested in taking energy conservation to another level, energy management products deliver a smart-home system based not on luxury but on social awareness. This can have far-reaching benefits, from cost savings to making a contribution toward a cleaner environment.

A house or building that is equipped with energy management products is connected via an automated interface, such as an energy dashboard, that monitors energy usage around the clock. An energy dashboard is a centralized unit from which energy patterns are tracked. This particular product can be a physical piece of hardware wired in the home or an online tool that is downloaded as an energy management software program.

Even though there are separate energy management products, they are connected by the energy dashboard. A smart meter, for instance, is a digital power meter that establishes a connection between the home or office with the local utility company via the dashboard. By watching the output, users can change energy usage patterns to reflect declining usage during the times of the day when energy prices are peaking. This allows both users and utilities to better monitor and manage power usage.

Smart meters can be sold directly to a consumer or to the local utility company, depending on the retailer. Another option is to install an electricity meter inside the home or building. These energy management products can be effective and inexpensive, but they might illustrate fewer energy usage patterns than a smart meter.

There also are small changes that can be made as part of a residential or corporate energy management system that is in place to reduce energy consumption. For instance, appliances such as smart thermostats or smart outlets and even cell phone applications can help residents identify and reduce energy usage based on daily patterns. These are energy-saving tools that are connected in order to transfer data from one device to another. A smart thermostat can eliminate unnecessary heating and cooling cycles in a house when there is nobody home. It also can send messages to homeowners online through energy management software if there is an excessive heating or cooling situation in the home.