LAS VEGAS – It was easy to be green at International CES, a
booming trend as many expected, and as further evidenced during a guided tour of
the show given by the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA)
on Friday.
The one-hour tour, which canvassed the South, Central and North
halls of the LVCC, highlighted a handful of the myriad companies exhibiting
here who are focused on home energy management, power consumption and
recycling.
Jennifer Bemisderfer, CEA’s
senior manager for specialty areas including recycling and environmental policy,
who led part of the tour, noted that home energy-management systems have become
a huge trend and had a significant presence at this year’s show.
The tour’s first stop was Control4 to view the company’s Energy
Management System 100 (EMS100). It includes an energy controller, a thermostat,
an engaging interface and interesting applications.
The controller, which has a color touchscreen, gives consumers
actionable information about energy usage so that they can take a more active
role in the energy management in their homes.
Not only does the system manage home energy use, it also provides
detailed energy usage information per device in the home as well as projects
billing information based on usage patterns. Additionally, it simplifies
thermostat programming. The controller features weather, clock, digital photos,
traffic updates and more.
The tour’s second stop was to Panasonic. The company’s Eco Ideas
initiative, given significant floor space at the booth, highlights home energy
management and the company’s efforts to reduce power consumption with its
televisions and other electronics.
Indeed, power consumption for 2010 Viera plasma TVs vs. ones from
2009 will feature a 40 percent reduction.
Parker Brugge, CEA’s
environmental affairs and industry sustainability VP, then led the tour group
to the 5,500 square-foot Sustainable Planet spotlight area in the North Hall, which
features 30 companies largely comprised of start-ups focused on green initiatives.
The tour group visited Regen, a CES innovations award winner for
its ReNu solar panel, $199 available this June.
Mark Reidy, the company’s communications director, also showed
the company’s new Reverb, a solar-charging iPod dock, that will be available in
June for $2,499.
Embertec, the final stop on the tour, is showcasing its power
solutions saving products which work with in conjunction with traditional power
strips.
The technology behind the company’s EmberCeptor Computer Series
(for laptops and computers) and EmberCeptor AV series (for TVs, game consoles
and home theater systems) reduces appliance power waste – including standby
power – decreasing CO2 emissions and saving money on energy costs.
