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May 2015
Housing
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
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
Energy management system
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■
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.
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)
•
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
Standards
•
SANS IEC
60950/61010/60730/181:2004/60669-1(
Electromagnetic Compatibility)
•
Eskom endorsed
•
ICASA approved