NEWS

WIRES

OTHER

EcoDog's FIDO Home Energy Watchdog System Receives Top Honors at CommNexus Gadget Fest 2009

FIDO Technology Fetches "Greatest Gadget" Award for the Local Start Up

EcoDog, Inc. (http://www.ecodoginc.com), an innovator in home energy efficiency and management, received the Greatest Gadget Award for its FIDO Home Energy Watchdog System at the CommNexus Gadget Fest 2009. Currently in pilot production and slated for launch later this year, the FIDO system is designed to give homeowners a comprehensive, room-by-room graphic overview of their energy use, complete with real-time utility charges and personalized saving tips based on individual usage patterns. Typical FIDO users can expect to save 15 to 25 percent on their home electric bills, and the system can also be used to identify "energy hogs" in the home that may produce even greater savings.

CommNexus gave each of the seven finalists, selected from several hundred applicants, five minutes to present their products' highlights. Ron Pitt, founder of EcoDog, demonstrated the FIDO Home Energy Watchdog system to the panel of judges and moderators along with an audience of about 400 people. In a close race with Verizon Wireless' new Droid phone, EcoDog's FIDO system ultimately won the award based on a combination of the judges' scores and audience enthusiasm for the products. When asked by the moderators to make a tie-breaking final statement, Pitt won over the crowd, noting simply, "This is the only product demonstrated tonight that will pay for itself and save homeowners money."

"Our goal at EcoDog is to help customers easily understand their energy consumption and lower their energy bills with our FIDO system. We were pleased that the judges and audience appreciated these benefits," explained Pitt. "The caliber of competition from Verizon's Droid phone, Flo TV, Nokia and others was truly impressive, so it's an especially great honor to be recognized by CommNexus."

EcoDog's FIDO Home Energy Watchdog system consists of an easy-to-use PC software package along with hardware interface modules for the breaker panel and computer that provide data through existing home electrical wires. This system eliminates the need for additional wiring. The PC interface module stores electric usage data for extended periods so users are not required to leave their computer running. Compatible with any standard electrical meter, FIDO will enable homeowners to achieve even greater savings as utilities roll out the next generation of Smart Meters with time-of-use surcharges. In addition to showing room-by-room detail about electric use, FIDO only stores the data locally to ensure user privacy and security. As added benefits for homes with solar or wind installations, EcoDog's FIDO system shows savings (or earnings) from alternative energy input at a glance, monitors loads for maximum return on investment, tracks energy generation over time in KWHr and actual dollars and compares consumption versus generation.

EcoDog, Inc. is committed to designing, building and making available the tools necessary to easily and affordably control energy consumption to reduce homeowners' expenses while lowering demand for electricity.