TED 5000 - Out of the Box, Into Your Living Room.

The game-changing TED 5000 is now available. Here's what you can expect when you get yours home.

TED - three ways. At least, in three white boxes. We've been waiting to get our hands on this new, better system for some time. Welcome to the family, TED.  As with the TED 1000 series this is straightforward to install (see our video on installation of the 1000, which is very similar) and easy to use. What's new? Plenty, including Gateway, TED's Footprints software (in your browser -- nothing to install or buy), and the ability to access Google PowerMeter.

Part I: The Handheld digital display:

The display is optional -- you can read your TED data on their Footprints interface on your computer (there's even an iPhone application!), but if you don't have a dedicated machine that's on a lot, the display is good to have. It includes essential information ($/hour, Watts, and more) in a convenient place in your house, it is also sleek, wireless, and has a battery so you can walk around with it. The TED 5000-G is the most basic mode which does not include the wireless display.  Still, we think the constant presence of the data in a prominent place in your house is an important part of why TED 5000 has value.  The TED 5000-C and TED 5002-C models come equpped with this display.

Part II: The MTU

The MTU is the workhorse of the system.  It connects to your electrical box (installation is fairly simple for a DIY'er, but could be done very easily by an electrician if you're not comfortable around electrical equipment), and sends data to the gateway (part III).   We did ours in about 10 minutes.

Part III: The Gateway (or brain)

This black box functions like a computer (actually, it is a computer), storing data and distributing it to portals of your choice.  It hooks up to your home router, and is therefore available from another computer connected to your network, but also talks to the display.  Once Google PowerMeter is live, we expect owners of the TED to be able to put their data up on the web as we have -- or, if you're not quite as exhibitionist as us, on a widget on your iGoogle home page.  More on that in a post soon.

The TED 5000 is accurate down to 1 (one) Watt. The Gateway  stores 60 minutes of Second-data, 2 days of Minute-data, 90 days of Hourly-data, 24 months of Daily-data, and 10 years of Monthly-data, giving you a perspective on where you've been and where you are right now.  The Footprints software in your web browser shows all of this data in charts and tables, and really lets you see a picture of your electrical usage that can help you understand, and ferret out the energy wasters in, your house.

We think the TED 5000 is a game-changing device on several fronts.  And you can pre-order one from our store today.