Controlling home energy consumption is easier said than done. Ask anyone who has blindly fiddled with the keys and programming guide on electronic thermostats. Even so it takes a little math to calculate how much notching down a couple of degrees will save. And then these units do not account for the power being used by home computers and other appliances which can also add to heat load that require more cooling.

SilverPAC hopes to change that with its new SilverSTAT 7 advanced seven-day programmable thermostat that is intended to replace standard home thermostats. The firm has begun previewing the unit that it will officially release in June 2010.

The SilverPAC SilverSTAT 7 is embedded on Windows CE 6.0 R3 and Intel (News - Alert) Atom platform. The device has been designed with a seven-inch touch screen display that is able to illustrate the distribution of household energy down to individual appliances. It also has an 802.11 Wi-Fi interface that allows it to successfully communicate with a home network and Internet services, a Z-Wave Home Automation interface and Zigbee protocol for lighting and appliance control. Zigbee is among the list of communication protocol the U.S. Congress has recently approved for devices supporting new Smart Energy grid system.

The SilverSTAT 7 also has an IEEE (News - Alert) 802.15.4 wireless interface that will enable it to speak to the new smart meters: providing the ability to send information on real-time electricity and gas use in households directly to utilities. This process, says the firm “eliminates the inconvenience of meter readings and the inefficiencies of controversial estimates.”

The unit is designed to encourage reductions in peak energy demand by providing customers with an instantaneous view of their ongoing energy usage and utility pricing on their networked home device. Energy and budget savings can be achieved by turning off or rescheduling the use of appliances for a more cost efficient time.

SilverSTAT 7 with its Window CE system is more than a direct energy management device. It can also be employed to deliver other information into the home from a convenient, accessible central location. For example it can provide real time weather forecasting and energy provider billing and price schedules to help plan for power usage and costing.

SilverSTAT 7 can act like a de facto PC by being able to stream photos, music and content direct from Live.com and the PC. It even has time management with a calendar and scheduled alarm notices. Users can control their digital universe with access to e-mail and stock prices; if the utilities are making more money from you then why not e-mail your broker to make more money from them?