On Thursday, September 30, Belkin revealed its Conserve Gateway router, which connects with a home’s existing smart meter to give real-time information on energy usage within the home. With it, the user can monitor and control devices and appliances hooked into the network via a Web interface on WiFi or Ethernet. This can be a standalone router or may tie into another. User-friendly Gateway also studies common energy-use habits of the home’s inhabitants and based on this information offers advice for saving energy. It can even calculate and show how many dollars a user might save by modifying certain appliances, such as the fan.
Belkin Conserve’s general manager claims that if the router is easy to use, people are more likely to take care of their homes, the earth, and their own pocketbooks. It is, however, not yet available for retail purchase, even through Belkin—only utilities, meaning that consumers would receive the Gateway with a smart meter from their utility company as part of a package. Meanwhile, Belkin is still pushing other products on its Conserve line, like the Conserve Smart AV power strip that turns off stand-by power to gaming consoles and DVD players. The Conserve Valet charges devices only until they are fully charged, and then cuts power.
Governments around the world are now investing in green industries to address the issues of depleting energy resources,said Lee Kun-hee of South Korea, the from where the technology of the Belkin Conserve Gateway hails. We must move ahead decisively to take this opportunity.
Guest post by Maria Rainier: Maria is a freelance writer and blog junkie. She is currently a resident blogger at First in Education and performs research surrounding online schools. In her spare time, she enjoys square-foot gardening, swimming, and avoiding her laptop.
