Efficiency First

Representatives of Efficiency First member Wattzy, Inc. – a social networking platform that helps consumers track and manage their household energy use online – were on hand at a press conference last week in which Boston mayor Thomas M. Menino announced a plan to conduct an infrared scan of the entire city of Boston. Merino’s announcement was made at the offices of another Efficiency First member, Next Step Living, a Boston-based contractor that provides energy efficiency services directly to homeowners.

The infrared scanning project will use aerial and street-level imaging techniques developed by Sanjay Sarma, a professor of mechanical engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology,  to create a graphic illustration of building-related energy waste throughout the city. The goal is to raise awareness about the benefits of making homes and businesses more energy efficient.

“If any place can use a city-wide scan, it certainly is Boston,” Wattzy said in a blog post about the press conference. “Our housing stock is some of the oldest in the country, which means a huge opportunity for energy savings.” According to the Boston Climate Action Leadership Committee, energy efficiency improvements could help Boston homes and businesses save more than $2 billion over 10 years.

Read the Wattzy blog post and view an infrared image of Sanjay Sarma’s own “energy gusher” home at www.blog.wattzy.com/2010/06/city-of-boston-to-be-scanned-for-energy.html.

Read the Boston Globe’s coverage of the announcement at www.boston.com/business/articles/2010/06/19/citywide_infrared_scans_could_spur_energy_savings.