EcoView tracks energy use

Resource monitoring company Advanced Telemetry is expanding its EcoView energy monitoring and control system into the residential market, the company announced in October.

Among companies diving into resource monitoring, EcoView offers a relatively low-cost entry to home energy management with a final cost to homeowners of about $500, Larkspur, Calif.-based Advanced Telemetry CEO Gus Ezcurra says.

The system—which is not available for direct purchase by homeowners, but through contractor and developer partners—connects a small electric meter inside a home’s main circuit breaker to a touch panel where residents can view and adjust their real-time energy and water use. It offers Web-based remote access and is designed to accommodate smart meters and appliances as they become available.

On the commercial side, EcoView offers monitoring systems for restaurants and office buildings. For restaurants, such as fast food franchises, energy use can be controlled by both an on-site interface and through EcoView’s network operating center, which makes adjustments based on set parameters.

While EcoView is not aligned with any utility or smart metering program, Ezcurra says the 1-year-old company is working with utilities with the possible goal of allowing small commercial operations to participate in electricity demand response.

Ezcurra, who notes EcoView’s creators were inspired after watching customers adjust their energy use in response to provided information during California’s energy crisis in 2000 and 2001, says the company’s aim is to help people modify their consumption habits.