Maybe nose around www.Intermatic.com for Z-Wave. Or search Z-Wave home controls. Lots of companies trying to make inter-operable/compatable wifi home controls.

Half pound of CO2 per Kwh?
Seems like a lot!

hi gary,

it's me gary reif, i sent you a calcuaator link for build it solar last week.

yes using the kill a watt I found tv/dvd/vcr/sat dish use almost 1 kw a day on phantom load x 3 rooms of those.

I don't like the x10 because it has a transsever that is plugged in and running all the time.

i found this lighting switch http://www.prestostore.com/cgi-bin/pro17.pl?ref=lightningonlineorder1867&pg=11055&rdf=go

which is nice because the wall switch uses no batteries or electric but uses piezoeletric

i think i am going to go with
http://www.geeks.com/details.asp?invtid=0843&cat=GDT
this becasue it is about $150 cheaper the the lghting switch and $1500 cheaper the the greenswitch

by pluging in a buch of things into this and switching them off when we leave the house we can save about 3 kw a day

now if i could figure out how to reduce the other 800 kwh a month that would be great

Here is a link that might be useful: remote switch

after checking it out more, the switch i was going to get has bad reviews.
i think i will go with this ge unit

Here is a link that might be useful: remote switch

Hi Gary -- small world!

Maybe you can let us know how the remote switch works out.

Another item in the gadget world:
I got a "Mini Power Minder" via Amazon.
You plug it into the wall, it has a 120VAC outlet on it, and is connected to your PC via a USB cable.
When your PC is turned off or goes into hibernate, the outlet on the Mini Power Minder is powered down.
You can plug a power strip into it, and put all the peripherals like printers, scaners, routers, ... on that power strip, so that when you shut down the PC or it times into hibernate everything is shut down.
So far its working fine.

Gary

Gary

hi Gary

Yes I got one of those last year and love it. Been trying to talk my employer into buying those as lots of people leave monitors on when they shut off their computer but it's like talking to a wall.....
I got mine from tigerdirect for 13.95 last year and would guess it paid for itself alreay with all the toys i have plugged it

Here is a link that might be useful: mini power minder at tigerdirct for 14.99

there is more to the product than is described on this forum. And there are couple things to consider. GreenSwitch is a product that was designed with peoples POOR habits in mind, not the very green altruistic people. Most people are unaware, and most people will not take the time to unplug, turn off or set back a thermostat. DOE says only 10% of the people with programmable thermostats actually program them. So we do it at the same time and perfectly match a persons lifestyle. We control plug load, lighting, and Heat and Air. Our product can be $1500 if you have a very large home but usually less than $1000. Now that may seem like a lot. And it is, but it is cheaper than the TV that most of you watch and the TV does not have a payback. We address phantom power, but energy savings is the sum of its parts. What about unattended power? Stuff you or your kids leave on. That is a bigger culprit, we handle that. If a TV uses 20 watts in standby, and 300 watts running, leave it on for an hour unattended and what did you just do? Changed the picture. We are a complete solution, not just plug load. So.. if it seems crazy to pay 800 or a 1000 dollars for a home automation system this might not be for you, but the price will come down as we grow. What people dont realize is the technology that is inside. Our product has no external components, it is self binding, so when you turn it on the first time it learns itself automatically. No programming necessary. There was a comment on the load that our product draws, that is correct. but we NEVER encourage someone to put an outlet where there is no load. Only areas with a draw or a tendency to be left on. So remember, 3 areas of savings, not just 1, and energy efficiency is the sum of its parts. do lots of things to save lots of energy in lots of areas with just one switch.

A correction, the correct formula for carbon per kWh generated is 1.32 lbs. That data comes from UC Irvine.