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Ontario names winners of Energy Apps 2014 challenge

The award winners are:

• Gold Award and People’s Choice: Wattson. The app provides users with a personal ‘Energy Butler’, who tracks electricity use to find savings and shows users how their daily actions affect their overall consumption.
• Silver Award: Beckon, which helps users track their electricity use and spending, and set spending reminders and time-of-use alerts.
• Bronze Award: Energy Tipper, which uses photos to remind users about time-of-use pricing.
• Best Student App: Wattermelon, which lets consumers anonymously compare electricity use with their neighbours. Users can create personal goals and collect points for reducing electricity use.
• Best App Created Outside of Ontario: UnPlug Stuff, which helps users find ways to reduce their electricity use by identifying phantom power in their home. Phantom power is electricity used by electronic devices that are plugged in but not in use.

“I would like to congratulate the winners and all participants in the Energy Apps for Ontario Challenge,” said Bob Chiarelli, minister of energy. “These apps will help Ontario households and businesses better understand and manage their electricity use.”

A panel of industry experts judged and selected the apps for the awards: Gold ($20,000), Silver ($10,000), Bronze ($7500), Best Student App ($5000) and Best App Created Outside of Ontario ($5000). Meanwhile, Wattson received $2500 for the People’s Choice Award.

“The creative solutions put forward point to the growing market opportunity for technologies that will help us manage our energy use at home and beyond,” added Ilse Treurnicht, CEO of MaRS Discovery District.

Photos courtesy the Ontario Ministry of Energy.