GRIMSBY, England, November 15, 2010 /PRNewswire/ -- Energy Optimizers Limited (EOL) (http://www.plogg.co.uk/) has launched a new version of its existing plug-in electricity meter which can be configured to host alternative embedded radio modules and modified for customised user interfaces.

The plogg (http://www.plogg.co.uk/ploggproducts.html) is a combined smart meter plug and data logger, based on Ember's EM357 ZigBee wireless technology and Teridian's 6511 metering chip. It can be attached to any electrical appliance or device that uses a standard mains socket plug in either Schuko, UK, French or USA mains outlet formats. The plogg stores the measured electricity data and wirelessly communicates this information to either a PC, an Internet-linked Ethernet gateway or a ZigBee installed Smart Meter.

The plogg's Software Development Toolkit has been designed specifically to provide support for systems integrators and developers. Universities across Europe are using the plogg in a wide range of studies on new designs for building management and social networking systems. Researchers at the University of Cyprus have deployed new web enabling technologies on the plogg using RESTful architecture and 6LoWPAN stack in order to leverage existing social networking infrastructures such as Facebook into the Smart Home to give a shared social experience. Research at the Universities of Zaragoza, Passau and of Kosice, are using the plogg as part of assisted living systems in the European-wide study, MonAMi.

"Availability of the API was the key factor in our decision to select the Plogg" said Dr. Alex Rogers of the University of Southampton, "The PC based manager was useful but the availability of a basic API on which bespoke data collection code could be built was key."

In commercial installations interoperability with other manufacturer's smart meters, programmable thermostats, in-premises displays and energy service portals is achieved with the addition of ZigBee SE, the leading secure protocol for integrating Home Area Networks with Smart Meters.

About Energy Optimizers Limited

Energy Optimizers Limited (http://www.plogg.co.uk/) manufactures Smart Grid technologies for load profiling, demand response, distributed generation and renewables markets. Their Smart Grid Technologies include wireless gateways, smart meter plugs and load controls for domestic and commercial appliances. Energy Optimizers Limited participates in a number of publicly funded European research and development projects.

http://www.plogg.co.uk

Further information sources

http://seacorn.cs.ucy.ac.cy/papers/files/Kamilaris_PIMRC2010.pdf

http://users.ecs.soton.ac.uk/acr/energy.php

http://webofthings.com/energievisible/

http://www.monami.info/

Energy Optimizers Limited

CONTACT: Contact: Shaun Merrick, Energy Optimizers Limited, Estate Road 1,Grimsby, DN31 2TB, UK, +44(0)1472-266731, shaun@energyoptimizers.co.uk