Reducing small power waste – making a big difference
measurable.energy is a UK-based startup with a bold mission to eliminate wasted energy from buildings. Their approach is to use machine learning technology to automate the process of finding and removing energy waste at scale, without adding to people’s job lists or disrupting occupants in offices.
Their plug sockets identify devices, measure their consumption and automatically switch them off when they aren’t needed. In the big scheme of things, this can reduce electricity bills by at least 20%, prevent CO2 emissions, and help organisations measure and action their net zero goals.
Co-Founder Dan Williams said, “From our perspective, eliminating wasted electricity is a big, obvious step towards managing energy and the sustainability of our planet for future generations.”
So, how do they do it?
Most commercial and office buildings have devices left on standby or fully on whilst not in use. This creates small power waste, which as it turns out, is not small at all!
Small power can exceed 40% of total electricity usage in office buildings and that waste incurs unnecessary expense and associated carbon emissions. Whether plugged in or directly wired, small power devices include monitors, printers, task lighting, chilled or hot water taps, heaters, and laptops etc.
measurable.energy’s plug sockets measure the exact usage of small power energy per socket. With the help of software and machine learning, the system can automatically identify plugged in devices, monitor their energy use, report granular real-time data, and automatically turn devices on and off to avoid wasted energy.
In addition, the sockets have LED indicators, showing the carbon intensity of the energy used, directly from the National Grid. Red indicates the use of fossil fuels, whilst green highlights more renewable energy use. This drives behavioural change, encouraging companies to consider when to have devices switched on to maximise their reduction in CO2 emissions.
Sustainable, smart and secure
measurable.energy ensures that sustainability informs many of their product design choices. The hardware is designed to be repaired, recycled and reused, and the software is designed to use as little data and resource as possible, whilst running on carbon neutral servers. All business operations are measured for environmental impact and managed to be as sustainable as can be.
Security also sits at the heart of product development, and protection of the data is of paramount importance. measurable.energy’s sockets are built with security integrated into the hardware and software from the start. In addition, hardware cryptography is used on all the power sockets to encrypt data before it’s transmitted, and software is updated on a regular basis to keep the network secure.
From pilot scheme to IASME IoT Cyber Assurance
When measurable.energy were first certifying to Cyber Essentials in 2021, IASME were advertising for smart device manufacturers to join the pilot for what was then, IoT Security Assured.
During the pilot, they worked closely with their Assessor Nick Merris and achieved the IoT Security Assured basic certification, which demonstrated to their customers and potential customers that they met industry standards. Following this, they focused on upgrading their firmware to exceed the IoT Security Assured Gold requirements and have now received IASME IoT Cyber Assurance.
Josh Eadie, Co-Founder and Chief Technology Officer at measurable.energy, commented:
“Our IASME IoT Cyber Assurance demonstrates our commitment to meet UK legislation and European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI) data protection provisions. We’re dedicated to leading the industry in levels of IoT security and protecting our customers’ data at all levels.”