An ASX-listed Internet of Things firm backed by Lady Gaga has launched a new device for monitoring utility consumption, the Buddy Ohm.
Buddy Platform CEO and former Microsoft executive David McLauchlan said the hardware, launched today, would help bring down energy costs at a time when it’s becoming more expensive than ever.
The Buddy Ohm measures consumption of electricity, gas, water, steam and solar power generation for $US1500 per month, which includes the hardware as well as service, maintenance and support.
The company, which is based in Seattle and has an office in Adelaide, targeting government facilities and public infrastructure as well as buildings owned by corporates.
“The global conversation around energy — how we generate it, how we consume it and how we conserve it — has never been more urgent, nor more relevant,” Mr McLauchlan said.
“Smart cities represent an amazing opportunity to dramatically change how we consume energy, while improving the quality of life for citizens. Improving the efficiency of those underlying systems is the first step for reaching those sustainability goals.
“I’m incredibly proud of the team and the game-changing product we’ve built, and I’m particularly excited to grow the Ohm product into a central hub connecting smart citywide infrastructure with the Buddy Platform.”
According to Mr McLauchlan Microsoft and AF Square, a venture capital outfit set up by pop star Lady Gaga and her former manager, are among Buddy’s seed investors.
Gaga isn’t a stranger to tech, having wowed fans at this year’s Super Bowl performance with a fleet of Shooting Star drones.
She’s also invested $US1m in online start-up Backplane, and was the first person to reach 10 million Twitter followers.
Mr McLauchlan said the Ohm base unit is installed in proximity to meters or sub meters, and uses industry standard connectors to monitor electricity, solar, water, steam, gas and other natural and built environment elements. Ohm can then wirelessly connect to other sensors allowing for a network of sensors across cities and buildings.
“Buildings that lack a traditional building management system due to age or budgets, simple and straightforward monitoring using Buddy Ohm can help realise efficiencies and saving they might not otherwise have access to,” Habib Heydarian, vice president of product and engineering said.
“Given the real monetary and environmental benefits of resource monitoring for cities and buildings, these systems should not be reserved for just those with giant budgets. With Buddy Ohm we are truly democratising resource data by using IoT class hardware, and leveraging the power of the Buddy platform.
“Once operators and occupants have access to this data and the insights it can provide, they can be an active part of the effort to be more efficient.”
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