Tesla’s Powerwall – A residential energy game changer?

With hindsight, this week’s announcement by Tesla that it would move into the home energy storage market was so obvious, that that the only question should have been why was there any surprise at all. For a while, Elon Musk, PayPal, Tesla, SpaceX tech entrepreneur had been saying that Tesla would unveil a new major product, and that it would not be a car. And so it turned out that Tesla will be launching a residential battery called PowerWall, in two variants with different storage … Read more…

50 Smart City Applications

Libelium, a manufacturer of sensors and connected devices provides a useful list of case studies and applications for smart sensors, covering urban applications, environmental monitoring, water management, smart grid and energy distribution, security applications, retail, logistics, industrial control and agriculture. Top 50 Internet of Things Applications – Ranking | Libelium    

Smart Thermostats – More than just a pretty app

An article in the UK mainstream press recently investigated the how smart thermostats and controls can be used to reduce household energy bills. The claims savings that can be achieve range from 10% by Hive of British Gas, up to around 20% for Google’s Nest thermostat. Given that the average energy bill of the UK household is around £1400/year, these represent significant amounts, though offset by the price of approx £200. While anything that significantly dents energy bills will be well-received, these smart … Read more…