Industry Innovations Ecoplex™ and Smart-e™ Unveiled Today
WASHINGTON, D.C., October 2010: Terradime Modular™, a manufacturing and innovation enterprise focused on energy efficient technologies, today held an international product launch to unveil cutting-edge products designed to help people conserve energy and live cleaner, healthier lives. The products were created by alumni from Carnegie Mellon University.
The Ecoplex™ is the first mass produced modular trailer for use in natural disasters (and many other applications) that does not contain cancer causing toxins and is 100% recyclable. It is a fresh solution to the “toxic boxes” that have been used to shelter people in natural disasters like those that have occurred with the BP oil spill or Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans. The Smart-e™ is a unique energy monitoring system that replaces the traditional home or office thermostat and allows remote access to home or office from anywhere in the world. Both products can have a compelling and positive impact on the lives of millions of people.
“Our first product, the Ecoplex™, is focused on the current, multi-billion dollar modular trailer industry, which is filled with trailers that contain high levels of cancer causing formaldehyde,” said George Mongell, President and CEO of Terradime. “In this industry, it is still acceptable to have people living and working in trailers known to contain dangerous toxins that compromise the health and well-being of its occupants. Today, we are unveiling a product that will change what we feel is a totally unacceptable industry standard.”
The product is designed for use for disaster relief, mobile offices, medical clinics, schools and by the entertainment and construction industries.
In July of 2008, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention reported on elevated formaldehyde levels in trailers used as temporary shelters in Louisiana and Mississippi for people displaced by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. The CDC report recommended the immediate relocation of any residents still living in these trailers because of the toxic levels of formaldehyde and other toxins that existed. After a typical 7-year use, these trailers are typically dumped into a landfill thereby emitting toxic or harmful chemical and pollutants into the Earth.
The Ecoplex™ is the first temporary green trailer that is cost-effective, easy to ship and can be mass manufactured. It’s made purely of healthy materials and is 100% recyclable, so it won’t leak toxins into a landfill. For use in natural disasters, the Ecoplex™ is the first, true solution that many entities like FEMA have been waiting for.
“The Ecoplex™ is an affordable solution for use in catastrophic situations like Hurricanes Katrina and Rita,” said Mongell. “In certain areas of the trailer, there is up to ten times more daylight in the Ecoplex™ than in a conventional trailer and the air quality is also significantly better than the trailers that are currently in use. It is wind resistant up to 120 mph and adaptable to climate-specific regions.”
With an exterior made of a structurally insulated panel, the Ecoplex™ self-levels by wireless remote. Residential models are 40 feet long and 8 ½ feet wide, among other size variations, and boast a kitchen, bathroom, bedroom, and living room. Prototypes are complete with mass-production planned and orders pending. Competitively priced, the product can be customized for office or temporary residential use and ranges from $30,000 to $40,000 based on inclusions like bathrooms and kitchenettes. It will be available by January 1, 2011.
Terradime also unveiled Smart-e™, a unique energy management system that is designed to replace the traditional home thermostat. Password protected, this new product allows people to control their home or office from anywhere in the world via computer or smartphone and makes subtle recommendations that increase comfort, conserve energy and save money.
“Over time, Smart-e™ learns the preferences an individual has for a home or office and makes recommendations that increase comfort, conserve energy and save money,” said Mongell. “On vacation? Smart-e™ makes it easy to remotely turn on and off lights, adjust temperatures, or unlock an alarm system to let a repair person in, then realarm the security system. It can be set for a week at one level, or changed as often as an individual would like. At work or stuck in traffic? Smart-e™ allows an individual to connect via a computer or smartphone to see if their kids turned off all of the lights before leaving the house or turn up the heat an hour before arriving home from work. It offers a simple way for anyone to conserve energy.”
Smart-e™ also gives people the ability to check their energy bill at any given point in the month, rather than having to wait for a bill that could hold unpleasant surprises. Available for new or existing construction, the product allows consumers to check their eco-score on a scale of A-F and recommends ways to improve your grade. Smart-e™ will be available in the Fall of 2011 and will retail at a base price of $399 for a basic unit, with options at $699 and $999 that include more robust versions, additional sensors and expanded software options for larger homes or office spaces.
“It’s always wonderful to see Carnegie Mellon alumni creating solutions to real-world problems,” said Rick McCullough, vice president of research at Carnegie Mellon. “Our alumni have enjoyed great success by using technology in creative ways such as this, and we wish the Terradime team, which includes many Carnegie Mellon alumni, all the best.”
Terradime™ is a manufacturing and innovation enterprise focused on energy efficient technologies. Led by alumni from Carnegie Mellon University, the Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania based company is creating innovative products and technologies designed to help people conserve energy and live cleaner, healthier lives.
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