Energy Efficiency  -  August 30, 2018

Pittsburgh adds smart plugs for energy savings

The city of Pittsburgh is piloting a program for an integrated energy savings-as-a-service (iESaaS) initiative with the goal of bringing energy savings to city facilities. The program calls for smart plugs to be installed in city facilities that use Sprint’s Magic Box signal booster and LTE modems with wi-fi to connect the plugs.

Smart Cities World reported the program is a collaboration with Boss Controls and has no upfront costs to the city. Energy rebates will be received from Duquesne Light Co. The service, reported to be a first in the U.S., calls for Boss smart plugs to be added "to any electrical devices that need to be scheduled off when the buildings are unoccupied, ultimately netting meaningful cost-savings and granting the city a reduced carbon footprint."

 "This program further cements Pittsburgh’s leadership in energy innovation, and our abilities to both save money and the planet," said William Peduto, mayor of Pittsburgh. Emissions from buildings make up roughly 80% of the city’s carbon footprint. 

 "The product deployment is part of the city’s climate action 3.0 objectives of reducing emissions by 50%, and the city’s participation in the 2030 district challenge. The goals of the challenge – including reducing energy and water consumption by 50% – initiated its testing and deployment," said Grant Ervin, the city’s chief resilience officer.

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