“Bill shock” is not uncommon for homeowners.
This is where a home energy management system can help. Using energy at the right times is key to making your bills manageable. And that’s where carbonTRACK comes in.
carbonTRACK is an Australian company, operating out of Melbourne (and with offices globally), that aims to empower Australians to take control of their energy. carbonTRACK has created a product known as an Energy Management System (EMS). This system is connected to your switchboard, collecting real-time data on your electricity use: both from the grid and your rooftop solar panels.
The reason many Australians don’t see the results they want after getting Solar is because of when they’re using their energy. Your solar panels create free electricity for you during the day when the sun’s out. But if you’re out during the day, say at work, then you’re not at home to run the dishwasher, or the dryer, or any other number of household appliances, while your solar panels are generating power.
Their engineers have developed appliance automation so that your appliances run when you’re out and the sun’s up. carbonTRACK does this in many different ways: through Smart Plugs, circuit switching, and green circuits.
Smart Plugs are used to control individual appliances. Simply plug it into your wall socket, and then plug the appliance into the Smart Plug itself. This gives you a whole new level of confidence and control. Using the carbonTRACK app or online interface, you can either turn things on or off remotely with the touch of a button, or ‘set and forget’ by creating schedules for when the appliance should turn on and off.
Circuit level switching is also another way carbonTRACK can help you save. This is switching from the switchboard level, allowing you to control loads, like your lights. Similarly to a Smart Plug, you have the option to switch remotely, or set schedules.
In addition to these features is the ability to control circuits through carbonTRACK’s Green Circuit capability. In a summarised sense, Green Circuits use carbonTRACK machine learning to pick the perfect time for your appliances to run.
From your app or desktop interface, you have all of the carbonTRACK monitoring and controlling power at your disposal.