Of interest to owners of plug-in hybrid vehicles in particular, Ford or otherwise, MyEnergi Lifestyle aims to show how energy consumption can be lowered while environmental impact is consequently reduced.
One year after its introduction, Ford Motor Company’s novel MyEnergi Lifestyle is showing how home owners can save money on appliances and fuel through energy-efficient living. MyEnergi Lifestyle 2.0 looks to raise peoples savings by helping home owners store their own energy.
Ford collaborated with companies, Eaton, Infineon, SunPower and Whirlpool to create MyEnergi Lifestyle. They retrofitted two family homes with energy efficient appliances and solar panels as well as providing the families with Ford C-MAX Energi plug-in hybrid (PHEV) vehicles.
The idea was to demonstrate how a typical American family could significantly reduce their electricity costs while minimising environmental impact at the same time.
The new version of MyEnergi Lifestyle expands on the initial successes found with renewables, smart charging and appliances by adding additional tools such as energy storage from solar panels. Sharp have developed an energy storage system which is being demonstrated at CES and is a typical example of what can be achieved through smart storage of energy. One of the key points of this type of technology is to keep homes powered during power cuts like many Americans are suffering at the moment due to the extreme cold weather in certain parts.
Mike Tinskey, Ford global director of vehicle electrification and infrastructure, said:
“The first year of the MyEnergi Lifestyle program showed us homeowners can save money and reduce their carbon footprint by adopting certain energy usage habits. We’re excited about advancing the program further to include battery storage for even smarter energy consumption.”
About MyEnergi Lifestyle
The Ford-led MyEnergi Lifestyle collaboration showcases how combining renewable energy generation with time-flexible loads optimizes energy consumption across a plug-in vehicle and home appliances.
Ford and its business associates worked with researchers from Georgia Institute of Technology to create a computer model that calculates the electricity usage of a typical single family in their home for one year, and the associated savings with moving to an energy-efficient lifestyle. The cumulative results predict a 60 percent reduction in energy costs and more than 9,000 kilograms of CO2 (55 percent reduction) saved. If every home in the United States were to implement these energy-saving technologies, it would be the equivalent of taking all the homes in California, New York and Texas – 32 million homes – off the power grid.
Ford have launched a new website where you can learn all about MyEnergi Lifestyle and more: www.myenergilifestyle.com
Source; Ford
