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5 points by avrPhreaque ↗ HN
Greets. I just learned of this community.

I have a product which is designed to adress an environmental concern: electrical energy waste.

According to Edison Power Research Institute, 25% of all electricity in the USA used in residential serviuce is wasted by people simply forgetting to turn off unused and unneeded lights.

BY addressing this issue, i can save the average consumer about 20-25% on their monthly electricity bill, reduce the loads on overloaded local electrical grids, reduce pollutution at generating plants by reducing load, and put numerous people to wqork all over the USA installing and maintaining the system s I have designed.

They are primarily targeted for new construction, though retrofitting is entirely possible at a slightly higher cost.

The system can also provide security and environmental control, at virtually no additional cost.

The system can be installed and used by any residential power customer, and does not require any interaction by the userr at all, though for environmental control and security, some interaction would, of course, be required.

I estimate the total cost to install such a system in a newly constructed average three bedroom home at approximatley $1200.

I actually designed this system decades ago, but micro-controller and sensor costs have only recently made it feasible to build and sell.

Unfortunately, I lack the financial resources to fully prototype and constructy a demonstration system. Looking for angels or investors.

I can be reached at tjkeller@inebraska.com

Thank you for your time and consideration in this matter.

9 comments

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Do you have a webpage? Pictures? Any technical details?

I actually designed this system decades ago

Really?

http://www.tjkeller.net/ but it doesn't mention anything about this system. Most of the energy savings described can be accomplished using off the shelf home automation products like motion sensor, dimmer, and timer switches for lights, and timer-controlled thermostats.
Of course it doesn't say anything about the system. I am not going to give away enough information to allow any decent electronics/embedded systems engineer to recreate it from my description.

Ifg you or anyone else is interested enough, and serious enough, to sign an NDA< I will be glad to reveal the ideas behind the design.

Tom

Do you have a patent? If not, get one - I don't see anybody investing in an idea whose IP is unprotected.
(comment deleted)
Apologies. I flew off the handle with that response.

If I can;'t raise the money for a reasonable demonstration unit, however am I going to raise the money to pay for a patent?

I would presume that one of the first expenditures that any angel or investor would insist on is a patent, and i h ave no problem with that.

I have begun studying other patents, to try to get some idea of what shoudl go into a proper patent filing.

Tom

No, I do not have a web page as yet. Nothing to put on a web page at this point.

As I noted in my original posting, I lack the fgunds to develop a meaningful demonstration of this system. Short of laying out the PCBs, and writing the firmware, I have it all worked out. I am just stuck by that damnable nuisance, lack of money.

Tom

So it's a motion sensor, then?
No, not a "motion sensor" in the traditional sense, at any rate.

After all, people sitting and reading or watching television or listening to music might not be moving enough to adequately indicate room occupancy. It is a room occupancy sensor, but without some NDAs, I am not saying any more than that.

Tom

Thanks for your response.