Shortly after the new Apple iOS update is available for download in mid-October, you’ll also be able to download a new iPhone application for home energy analysis from Canadian software developer Envirolytics.
The company’s application, called iViro, uses information about your insulation and roofing, water-heating equipment, structural design, windows, appliances and other energy-related information to figure out where your household might be able to save money. the video below runs you through the sorts of things that the application will handle, such as which appliances in your home might yield the most energy-efficiency savings, should you decide to take action. Yes, I know there are lots of software applications such as this out there on the market, but this one managed to snag some recognition during an IBM conference earlier this year.
Envirolytics founder and CEO Patrick Leslie said he was inspired to develop the iViro tool after discovering that many existing energy-efficiency software options were difficult to use, even for someone with an engineering background like him. the sensors and cameras on smartphones make them a logical platform with which to gather energy-efficiency data. That information is sent to the Envirolytics cloud, where it is used to offer customized suggestions about where you or your family might be able to save money on energy.
The initial version of the app (which will be considered a beta release) will carry a fee (unspecified when I interviewed him a few weeks ago); it will be focused on U.S. households.
Leslie said Envirolytics hopes eventually to negotiate partnerships with retailers or utility companies, so that the application can be distributed more broadly to their customers.