ThinkEco Launches Eco Empowered Initiative Featuring the Modlet; Companies Take Important Steps to Reduce Energy Waste

NEW YORK, NY, October 02, 2010 (Press-News.org) ThinkEco, Inc., a New York City-based company that develops easy-to-use energy efficiency technologies for homes and businesses, announced the start of its Eco Empowered Initiative featuring the modlet, which will enroll up to 100 organizations to participate in an innovative study to uncover hidden sources of electricity waste in offices. More than 50 leading organizations have shown their commitment to sustainability and energy-efficiency activities by taking part in the Eco Empowered Initiative, including BlackRock, Greif, The Climate Group, and Turner Construction. The Eco Empowered Initiative is being rolled out over the next 100 days.

Through the initiative, organizations will be among the first to use ThinkEco's modlet, (short for "modern outlet"), an intelligent outlet that reduces energy waste by monitoring real-time equipment power consumption and creating an automated savings program. Organizations can see detailed, real-time energy use data from plugged-in electronic equipment (plug loads) and learn about plug- load management. Today, more than 25 percent of the electricity that companies use goes to plugged-in equipment, and the number of plug-loads is expected to triple by 2030. For tenants, who don't have control over HVAC and lighting systems in their offices, plug-loads are one of the only elements of their carbon footprint they can control and the modlet makes that happen easily and effectively. Even among sustainability leaders, plug-loads have traditionally been the most neglected source of energy waste, so the opportunity to save remains significant.

"The Eco Empowered Initiative is designed to engage company managers and employees alike to reduce power wasted in their offices by plugged-in equipment and create energy savings plans that make meaningful reductions in both their carbon footprint and electricity bills," said Jun Shimada, president and CEO of ThinkEco, Inc.

The program comes on the heels of a successfully completed nine-month commercial and residential pilot study, which validated the potential energy and money savings from modlet use. "Through this initiative, we're making the modlet available to even more organizations interested in learning about energy efficiency," adds Shimada.

"Our objective at Greif is to embed sustainability into our company culture. Plug-load management will play an important role in engaging employees by raising awareness about energy consumption and by enabling them to take actions that make a difference. Plug-load control is a vital component of our comprehensive energy management strategy," said Scott Griffin, vice president, commercial excellence and sustainability at Greif, Inc.

Not only will companies participating in the Eco Empowered Initiative be able to reduce their energy consumption for the duration of the study, but they will also receive a plug-load energy efficiency report that aggregates data and actionable insights across all participating organizations.

"We are proud to participate in piloting an innovative tool to help our company monitor and manage energy consumption," said Michael Deane, vice president and chief sustainability officer of Turner Construction.

"The ability to monitor and manage power usage in real time at the outlet and to control equipment usage to maximize energy efficiency can provide a significant benefit to our clients and our own operations," adds Deane.

To learn more about participating in the Eco Empowered Initiative, visit About ThinkEco, Inc.

Founded in 2008, ThinkEco, Inc., is a New York City-based company developing easy-to-use energy efficiency solutions for homes and businesses. Its latest product, the modlet, is an intelligent outlet that provides a simple, low-cost and installation-free method for saving money and energy on electronic appliances. The modlet is expected to be available for commercial use in the fourth quarter of this year and will be available to consumers first quarter of 2011. For more information, visit http://www.thinkecoinc.com. For the latest updates and news, follow the company on Twitter at http://twitter.com/ThinkEco or become a Facebook fan at http://www.facebook.com/ThinkEco.

Contact:
Jennifer Little/Anne Steinberg
Kitchen Public Relations
(212) 687-8999
jlittle@kitchenpr.com or anne@kitchenpr.com