The Energy Department has announced winners for the “Apps for Energy” competition, with app developers submitting more than 50 innovative mobile and web applications that will help utility consumers save money by making the most of their “Green Button” electricity usage data.
“We’re pleased to see such a strong response to our call for innovative new apps that will save consumers money by saving energy,” says Energy Secretary Steven Chu. “This is about giving consumers easy access to information so they can make sense of their electricity bill – and more importantly, reduce their electricity bill.”
Eligible apps included those for mobile phones, computers, tablets, software programs and more – providing new tools for understanding their electricity usage, taking action, and making better-informed decisions.
The winners will be invited to demonstrate their apps at an energy data event in Washington, D.C. later this summer.
Winners for the “Apps for Energy” competition are:
Best Overall App Grand Prize: Leafully
Location: Seattle, Washington
This app is the brainchild of Seattle-based team, Timothy Edgar and Nathan Jhaveri who describe themselves as “two developers with an idea.” Their app submission, Leafully, helps utility customers visualize their Green Button data as a variety of units, such as the amount of trees needed to offset an individual’s energy usage. Leafully encourages users to set energy savings goals and to share their progress on Facebook.
Best Overall App Second Prize : Melon
Location: Washington, DC
DC-based startup Melon describes itself as the first company to utilize Green Button data to simplify the process of obtaining an ENERGY STAR benchmark for commercial buildings. The app uses Green Button to evaluate the energy performance of commercial buildings.
Best Overall App Third Prize : VELObill
Location: New York, NY
Cleantech software and services company Zerofootprint’s VELObill app helps makes it easier for utility customers to view their energy usage, measure whether it is high or low, and compare it to that of their peers. With this information in hand, users can create an energy saving action plan tailored to their individual needs and preferences.
Best Student App Grand Prize: wotz
Location: Irvine, CA
The wotz app, submitted by a team of students at the University of California, Irvine, lets users explore and play with Green Button data. The app provides several games based on the "shape" of your data, and provides creative comparisons to illustrate your usage, like how many cheeseburgers worth of energy you used last Tuesday from 5 to 6 pmm.
Best Student App Second Prize: Budget It Yourself
Location: Cleveland, OH
The Budget it Yourself app is a collaborative project from a team of students at Case Western Reserve University and the Cleveland Institute of Art. The app helps users track their energy usage and make energy-savings goals.
Popular Choice Award Grand Prize: VELObill
Location: New York, NY
Cleantech software and services company Zerofootprint’s VELObill app helps makes it easier for utility customers to view their energy usage, measure whether it is high or low, and compare it to that of their peers. With this information in hand, users can create an energy saving action plan tailored to their individual needs and preferences.
Popular Choice Award Second Prize: Innovative Solar Demand Response
Location: Cleveland, OH
This app uses Green Button Data to size a Solar PV and a battery system based on average peak energy demand of a home during different hours of the day. The battery is charged by solar PV during daytime (when solar radiation is available) and a charge/discharge controller would release the stored energy during peak times, when energy production is more costly.