Smart-home technology has come a long way, giving us the tools we need to monitor everything from energy to water use. However, it can be a hassle to use multiple devices to collect all of this data. Now, Curb is here to simplify the process of going green.
Curb is a smart-home monitoring system that gives you real-time spending estimates, as well as recommendations to reduce your carbon footprint. Although Curb has been in the making since 2012, its Indiegogo campaign officially launched on June 22. Now, Curb is finally on its way to debuting in homes across the country.
The device consists of hardware sensors (up to 18, depending on the model) that connect to your breaker box, as well as to your home router. By establishing a connection to your breaker box, Curb can give you up-to-the-minute stats on your energy usage directly through its app on your mobile device. You’ll find out how much money you’re spending to power your home every day.
Additionally, you can program Curb to send you billing alerts and notifications when your home’s energy usage rate is particularly high. Through the app, you can forecast your energy bills and make smarter decisions to cut costs as soon as possible. Weekly emails are sent directly to you to give you a bigger picture on your energy use.
There are three models of Curb — Lite, Pro and Duo. Lite is designed for apartment dwellers (6 circuit connectors), while Pro (18 circuit connectors) and Duo (18 connectors x 2) are made for homeowners with one or more breaker panels.
At the moment, pledging $299 on Indiegogo will get you a Pro edition of Curb by September 2015. If you’re looking for an apartment-sized Curb, a pledge of $249 will have one delivered to your door by this fall. Knowing how much energy you use can be the first step toward reducing your consumption.
