Boss Controls Installs Energy-Saving Devices In Pittsburgh Vending Machines

PITTSBURGH -- Boss Controls will install "smart plugs" on vending machines, water coolers and air conditioning units in buildings belonging to the City of Pittsburgh and Carnegie Mellon University. The Pittsburgh-based Internet of Things energy-management and controls provider said it will make the installations at no cost to the city through its involvement in the Global City Teams Challenge.

When not in use, enabled devices will turn off, resulting in energy and cost savings. Boss Controls said that equipment also can be controlled and turned off or on simultaneously in a disaster recovery event.

The National Institute of Standards and Technology and U.S. Ignite launched the Global City Teams Challenge last fall, creating public-private partnerships with a goal of implementing and validating energy savings in and around Pittsburgh buildings.

The City of Pittsburgh, with Boss Controls and Carnegie Mellon University, will present its work at the Global City Teams Festival on June 1 in Washington, DC.

"This IoT project will demonstrate demand response load shedding down to the device level across multiple buildings," said Boss Controls chief executive Greg Puschnigg.