June 21, 2013: Federal and Industry Partners Issue Sub-Meter Challenge
Building Sector Says: If You Can Build Cost-Efficient Units, We Will Buy Them
WASHINGTON — A coalition that includes the United States federal government and over 200 major commercial building sector partners has issued a challenge to U.S. manufacturers: if you can build wireless sub-meters that cost less than $100 apiece and enable us to identify opportunities to save money by saving energy, we will buy them. A group of at least 18 manufacturers has already agreed to take up the challenge, pledging to produce devices that will meet the specifications outlined by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and its private sector partners that have signed letters of intent to purchase the wireless sub-meters.
“This is a perfect example of how government can team up with industry to identify a problem and promote the innovation needed to solve it,” said Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz. “Affordable, accurate sub-metering of electricity use will give building managers the critical information they need to find and eliminate waste that hurts their businesses and costs billions of dollars a year. Even a small improvement in efficiency will mean huge savings for companies as well as for taxpayers.”