by Gil Cavada, Senior Designer
George Guffey, Product Development Technologies
From inside your home to inside your car, manufacturers are changing what it means to be “green.” Eco-friendly products certainly aren’t a new trend; however, the definition of what makes a product ‘eco-friendly’ is changing. Companies are figuring out that the driving force for many consumers to buy “greener” isn’t necessarily the environment- it’s about saving green. While consumers seem more driven to save money than the environment, pairing them together makes the latter very attractive.
There is a new interest in being a more efficient consumer of energy, particularly in the home appliances market. Brands like LG, Samsung and Kenmore are creating appliances that relay to the consumer the best times to use electricity and allow them to make an educated decision on when and how they consume energy. These products gather information about energy consumption rates and empower consumers to make better choices about their energy use. For example, a laundry machine might have a display that shows energy consumption trends in the area, helping them determine the best time to run the machine and use less energy, saving money on their energy bill. Ultimately, the decision on how money and energy is being spent lies with the consumer.
Mobile applications, like Power Stoplight, can also help consumers monitor the energy consumption in their home. Applications such as these make it easy for consumers to be green by making information easy to access and understand, helping homeowners reduce their energy costs and avoid wasteful energy usage. According to the U.S. Department of Energy, there will be a 19% increase in domestic energy use over the next 25 years, making innovations like the Power Stoplight app timely to meet this rising demand. Applications like this one can help prevent megawatts of energy from being wasted by making consumers more judicious in running their home appliances.
Read the complete story at Environmental Leader