Ford just launched its new MyEnergi Lifestyle collaboration, which show how a family can reduce their electricity bills and CO2 footprint by integrating home appliance technology with a plug-in vehicle and a renewable energy source. Ford is collaborating with Eaton, SunPower and Whirpool to highlight the MyEnergi Lifestyle technologies at this week at the 2013 International CES in Las Vegas.
Ford and its partners worked with researchers from Georgia Institute of Technology to create a computer model that calculates the electricity usage of a typical single family in their home for one year and the savings that come from moving to a more energy-efficient lifestyle. The cumulative results predict a 60 percent reduction in energy costs and more than 9,000 kg of CO2 (55 percent reduction) saved from a single home. Even more noteworthy is the prediction that if every home in the U.S. were to implement these energy-saving technologies, it would be the equivalent of taking all the homes in California, New York and Texas off the power grid (32 million homes).
“More than ever, cars are sharing the same energy source as the home,” says Mike Tinskey, global director of Vehicle Electrification and Infrastructure, Ford Motor Company. “The time is right for the home appliance and transportation sectors to converge if we are going to tackle a myriad of sustainability challenges in a rapidly changing world.”
Some of the key factors driving MyEnergi Lifestyle include: Electric vehicles that can charge during the low-cost “off-peak” electricity hours, new more efficient appliances, hot water heaters that use nighttime electricity, a smart thermostat that programs itself and rooftop solar systems that generate renewable energy.
“As innovation in home electrical technology advances, so does the need for safe, reliable and efficient power distribution,” says Joanne Edwards, vice president and general manager, Residential Division, Eaton. “At the same time, giving homeowners the tools to tap into the details of distributed power for their homes allows them to modify their behavior and further reduce energy consumption.”