Exerpted from The Huntsville Times, July 5, 2009
Carina Keeps Tabs on Energy Use
High-tech meter monitors demand for more efficiency
By Kenneth Kesner
HUNTSVILLE, Alabama -- How much electricity did you buy today?
Huntsville-based Carina Technology offers products that let both the electric utility and its customers know.
And the more you know, the more power you have to save money, to anticipate problems or to plan for growth, said Michael Smalley, chief operating officer.
"We're about 'Energy Intelligence,'" he said, using the company's trademarked term for a suite of products that allows a real-time exchange of energy information between a power provider, its customers and points in between, along with software to manage and analyze the data.
Historically, he said, a meter reader walks house-to-house through a neighborhood, writing down numbers on a clipboard or in a notebook, and then drives back to the office.
Hand-held computers have replaced the clipboard for some companies; others have meters that can be "read" from a vehicle driving by.
"How do you go beyond that?" Smalley asked. In other words, how do you park the truck?
Carina's Universal Metering Device is attached to the electric meter and uses cellular phone systems or broadband computer connections to send information between the location and the power company. It handles usage and billing data, of course, but the constant communication allows for much more, he said.
Homeowners can see daily what effect turning up the thermostat a few degrees or leaving the floodlights on overnight has on their electric bill, Smalley said.
(...continued - contact for full article)
About Carina: Carina Technology, Inc. is a Huntsville-AL-based technology hardware and software firm that provides Utility Information Solutions through its patented CarinaPoint™ Solution. Carina enables energy providers to manage operations more efficiently through applications such as Meter Data Management, remote meter reading, Demand Side Management, & remote disconnect/reconnect. More information about Carina can be found at www.carinatek.com.
CONTACT:
Laura Pepper
Carina Technology, Inc.
Phone: 256.704.0422 x106
Fax: 256.704.0366
lpepper@carinatek.com
www.carinatek.com
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