2009 - Q2 Barton Award winners. Students at SJA and CHS join to ...

WHAT’SNEXTBRieFS
Smarter meter
A Colorado startup’s device turns electric
meters into smart meters, opening a chance
for users to curb energy use and cut
pollution.
Tendril’s device piggybacks on
newer meters that wirelessly relay
usage data to utilities. Tendril’s
gadget transmits the readings
every few minutes to utilities, which
can send the usage and pricing
to customers over the Internet.
Customers can use Tendril software
to use power more efficiently.
“We touch consumers in one of
three ways, through an in-home
display, Internet portal or now on
your mobile device,” says Steve
Propper, a spokesman for Tendril.
Tendril’s service could bypass the need for
new smart meters. The firm will begin testing
its service this year in hundreds of homes. •
48
TVs get
even better
Repeat after us: TV is good. But the device that blows entertainment and knowledge at
your eyeballs also consumes huge amounts of energy. That’s particularly true of HDTVs,
which eat up three times the electricity of cathode ray tube sets. California is even
considering a ban on energy-hogging sets.
Not so fast. TV manufacturers are countering with eco-friendly sets. Sony, for one, debuted
a set that has two new power-saving technologies and one from the old school. The Sony
WE5 has a backlight that cuts power consumption by 40% over its standard set without
dimming picture quality. The set also has a presence sensor that turns of the picture when
a room is empty and switches to standby mode a while later. The sensor measures motion
and your body heat to trigger the power-saving mode. Topping off this technology blitz is a
power switch, which saves 5% over sets that switch only to standby when they are “powered
down.” Sony estimates the eco-friendly features save about $50 per year. •
Baton Rouge Area Foundation