Green Cities
The Future of Green: Automatic Light Switches Reimagined
September 13, 2013
**This is the fourth installment of our new blog series: The Future of Green. Every other Friday we will post a blog about a cutting-edge and futuristic innovation in the world of green technology. Technology is one of several barriers that stand between today’s society and a sustainable future. The innovators we highlight through The Future of Green are shattering those barriers. Make sure to tune in every other Friday for a glimpse into the future of energy and sustainability.
The amount of energy consumed by buildings is astounding. Residential and commercial buildings account for nearly 40% of total energy consumption in the US. The vast majority of this energy is used for heating, lights, and electricity. Even more shocking, most of this energy consumption is unnecessary—lights get left on, heating systems continue to pump out heat when nobody’s home, and appliances consume “vampire energy,” even when they’re turned off. Fortunately, innovators are hard at work to come up with a solution for this problem. In this edition of The Future of Green, we’ll highlight a few of these innovators.
In an effort to tackle both “vampire energy” and the problem of appliances being left on, Birkeland Current has developed The Pinch, an RFID-controlled device that automatically turns off power strips or light switches when residents are not in the vicinity. The Pinch works by requiring users to carry a fob. When the fob is close by, the light or power strip automatically turns on, and when the fob leaves the area, the appliances turn off. The device can also gather data about the user’s energy use, allowing for customized scheduling or remote control over lights and power strips. According to its makers, The Pinch has the potential to cut user electricity costs by 35%.