03 January 2011

ThinkEco Introduces "Modlet" for Home

Image representing ThinkEco as depicted in Cru...Modlet, CrunchBase
ThinkEco, a New York City-based company that I've written about previously on The Green Skeptic, will debut the home version of its "modlet," at the Consumer Electronics Show in Vegas later this week.

The modlet, which is short for modern outlet, is a wireless "intelligent" outlet that will trim energy waste from plugged-in appliances and consumer electronics.

ThinkEco's modlet will be available for home use this spring for around $50 for a starter kit, including one two-plug modlet and a USB receiver.

"There are more appliances and consumer electronics in homes today than ever before, and many draw power all the time, even if they are not being used," said Jun Shimada, ThinkEco's president and CEO in a press release. "This wastes energy quietly and invisibly, in stark contrast to the very visible waste associated with other resources such as keeping your faucet on or idling your car."

With ThinkEco's modlet, according to the company, you can schedule your outlets to shut off automatically when plugged-in devices are not needed and turn them back on at a scheduled time based on usage patterns. You can even control it from your mobile phone (as long as it is not power-down by the modlet, I suspect).

I'm hoping to test one of these babies in my own home, specifically on an outlet where I charge my BlackBerry overnight and can't be bothered to get up in the middle of the night to unplug it after charging.

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