Contributed article by Oliver Hynes, Founder & CEO at HUB Controls Ltd.
The world has misused its energy for too long. Irreverent creation of high-consumption vehicles and devices through inefficient production processes that lack the measures to monitor energy expenditure have resulted in excessive amounts of waste. While these large-scale operations cause considerable damage to the climate and exacerbate the growth of energy bills, other significant factors filter out usable energy on a day-to-day basis.
In our homes, vast amounts of energy are wasted each day, hiking up the energy bills and further aggravating climate change. The World Green Building Council (WGBC) reports that both commercial and residential buildings account for 39% of global energy-related carbon emissions and roughly a third of greenhouse gas emissions. The energy demand for heating and cooling continues to grow throughout the winter, and extreme conditions inflame the issue.
Prior to the latest winter, there were a number of increases in domestic energy costs in the U.S.; natural gas had surged by a staggering 81% over the last five years, while electricity costs had risen by 32% in just the last three years. This alarming trend has left many homeowners and landlords simultaneously struggling to maintain their rental income amidst utility cost hikes.
Amid ramping energy conservation efforts by governments to achieve long-term ‘net-zero’ energy goals, the level of consumption has already become overbearing for many homeowners negatively impacted by excessive energy expenditure. With the average U.S. household expenditure on heating expected to soar again this winter, making frugal decisions to reduce the energy bill has become a necessity.
How It Works
The HubControls system replaces or upgrades the pre-existing thermostats already within buildings with three different methods of installation that allow for flexibility depending on each individual building system:
- HubPro – A standard smart wall-installed thermostat
- HubLite – Coming soon, the newest version of the smart thermostat
- HubRelay – Coming soon, lives behind any existing thermostat, allowing users to connect directly to Hub Brain
The HubControls thermostats are then connected to the self-learning HubBrain, a smart system that collocates myriad data by constantly tracking key variables across millions of data points. Taking all the accrued information, the HubBrain capably identifies scenarios where savings can be made and optimizes energy usage to provide an average savings of 33% to consumers.
Getting the System
Receiving and installing the system is simple, offering a streamlined three-step approach. HubControls will talk through the process with your team, including any pressing technical questions, and identify the most appropriate properties to trial the Hub system. After an agreement is reached with saving expectations of greater than 15%, the installation phase will continue with Hub willing to train local installers to fit the Hubs, all at their own cost. In lieu of an agreement on finances, HubControls will remove the already installed units at their own expense.
Delivering Value
HubControls’ automated energy reduction system can deliver significant value to alleviate the mounting energy costs throughout the winter. Providing a proven management system, the innovative solution utilizes smart thermostat devices to deliver ubiquitous real-time data on buildings, systems, and tenant activity. All of this is viewable from the Hub Controller phone app or dashboard. This system recommends efficiencies and enables users to select customizable parameters that emphasize customer control and guarantee an array of benefits, which include:
- HVAC costs were reduced by 36%
- Minimum savings of 15%, an average $368 saving per year
- These savings will be proven during the initial 60-day trial on properties
Post initial setup, the Hub system costs $20/month while returning savings of $64/month on average, immediately providing a sizable return on investment.
With over 12,000 successful installations working concurrently across Europe, Binghamton, and Buffalo, HubControls’ innovative technology provides an affordable, data-driven, and intelligent option for alleviating unnecessary energy expenditure at home.
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