EnergySafe Magazine May 2014, issue 35 | Page 20

20 Advertorial Household energy savings on display A new palm-sized electricity consumption display just released by Secure Australasia monitors energy usage and costs in real-time in your home. The Pipit 500 In-Home Display can be installed anywhere—in a home, shop, workshop or small factory—and communicates via a wireless link with all types of smart meters installed in Victorian premises. This is a first for Australia as Victoria is so far the only state to have adopted smart metering as essential in reducing greenhouse gas emissions by lowering electricity consumption and flattening demand variations. With a planned retail price of less than $150, the Pipit 500 lends itself to be a very cost-effective solution for consumers to understand their energy consumption. As an added benefit there are no additional installation costs. The consumer simply mounts or places the Pipit In-Home Display in a convenient location, where it can be viewed. The procedure for connecting it to the smart meter is simple and similar to pairing a mobile phone to a Bluetooth device. The energy retailer’s tariff structures are keyed in by the user via the Pipit’s soft keyboard thus making it possible to compare electricity bills with stored consumption data for the first time. It can be stated that most home owners are oblivious to the basis on how they are billed for their energy usage. The Pipit now makes this information accessible, and is shown live as consumers turn on individual appliances. Depending on electricity consumption levels, and the consumer making informed decisions on reducing their power consumption, the device can Visible results: The Pipit 500 can soon pay for itself with savings of up to 12 per cent possible. pay for itself over a couple of billing quarters with savings of up to 12 per cent possible for typical domestic households.* The Pipit 500 displays energy usage and costs in various formats on hourly, weekly, monthly and yearly historical bases. One of the important features is that realtime usage can now be viewed and understood. In addition, it allows the consumer to set usage targets for greater control and visibility. The Pipit 500 can also be used with solar energy installations and its live usage display can show power available as well as energy exported back into the network. The device is powered by a mains adaptor or battery. Backlit high-resolution display and full touch screen with audio feedback and alarms provide all of the information.  further information, please For contact Secure Australasia at [email protected] or for more information go to www.freedomtosave.com.au * xtract from Accenture Department E of Primary Industry IHD report 2011. Average reduction is 8 per cent.