Housing in Southern Africa May 2015

Housing

Energy management system

I rvan Damon from carbonTRACK, says “CarbonTRACK offers the monitoring of the entire energy consumption of a home or business. All this functionality is accessible via a smart phone, tablet or personal computer using the carbonTRACK user friendly App.” For example the energy usage is mainly for heating and cooling water or operating pool pumps. Hot water geysers are generally only required for a few hours in the morning, and almost never during the night, yet they continually reheat water that is not needed. By ensuring water is at particular temperature only during these times, carbonTRACK can reduce electricity consumption substantially. “The web user-interface allows the business or residential user to set gey- ser temperatures and timer settings. Added to this, switching hot water geysers off during peak load events would have an immediate effect on grid consumption, possibly limiting or even preventing load shedding blackouts,” says Damon. The City of Johannesburgwill intro- duce residential time-of-use tariffs, in July. Stand-by loads likemodems, set- top boxes and domestic appliances contribute up to 6% of our national grid-usage. With the launchof carbon- TRACK ZigBee wireless plug, stand-by devices can nowbe switched off at the appliance level via the phone, further reducing energy usage. carbonTRACK technology uses Intelligent Control • Accurate measurement of Power Usage and Power Generation • Smart Mode for better energy efficiency • Connection flexibility towards Geysers, HVAC Units, Solar Thermal Controllers and other auxiliary devices • User-defined Timers • Battery Backup minimises data loss SPECIFICATIONS Physical • Enclosure: High impact GF ABS, Wall mountable • Weight: 560 grams • Dimensions: 208 x 208 x 46 mm Energy Monitoring • Measure single phase or three phase power systems with power factor • Accurately monitor solar power generation

Proudly South African company carbonTRACK SA offers an innovative intelligent energy management system that is enabling the business and residential sector to regulate their energy use, by improving efficiency and reducing costs.

reduces dependence on the national grid power. Proudly South African’s CEO, Leslie Sedibe said, “We are proud to have carbonTRACK on board with a prod- uct that empowers South Africans to easily monitor and manage their power usage during challenging times. This innovative solution can also be used to monitor solar generation and ultimately gives consumers the power to save money. This comes at a time when our government is urging all South Africans to work together to save electricity and help get the country out of its energy shortage challenge.” In 2014 carbonTRACK won the prestigious GAP ICT Innovation Hub Award for its remarkable energy management potential. carbonTRACK products are available from Builders Warehouse. For further information visit www.carbonTRACK.co.za ■ • Timers allow for user-defined shut-off time. • Intelligent Temperature based switching • Auxiliary Control Capabilities • Leak sensor to detect leaks in the Geyser unit • Solenoid shut-off valve control Communication • Accurate Power and Temperature measurements sent to server every 15 minutes • Application available on Windows, iOS or Android platforms

algorithms to switch devices on and off as required, in order to minimise electricity consumption. A proprietary communications stack allows remote switching of devices in under three seconds, using robust telecommu- nication networks at a reduced cost. This results in electricity savings of up to 30%. The company’s Smart Solar product can also improve efficiency of solar geysers and photovoltaic (PV) solar and monitor how much energy is be- ing generated and tomaximise the ef- ficiency of the PV Solar system, which Control Geyser Controller • Control up to two Geyser units (if ports are free) • Smart mode for better energy efficiency • Timers that allow for user-defined shut- off times Solar Thermal Controller • Smart mode for better energy efficiency • Temperature Differential based switch- ing that maximises efficiency • Anti-freeze protection technology • Holiday mode to protect installation infrastructure during periods ofminimal usage HVAC (Heating, Venting and Air-conditioning) control • Control up to twoHVACunits (if ports are free)

Standards • SANS IEC

60950/61010/60730/181:2004/60669-1( Electromagnetic Compatibility)

• Eskom endorsed • ICASA approved

May 2015