Vail native helps launch Valta, a ‘smart’ power outlet, on Kickstarter

Vail’s Tom Boyd, an entrepreneur and co-founder of RealVail.com, is part of a team launching a new green-tech product on Kickstarter this week.

The product, called “Valta,” is a ‘smart’ power outlet that can wirelessly control electronic devices in the home and office. Boyd, now based in Denver, is handling media affairs for the company.

Valta prototypes have already been built and tested. They allow users to control appliances via their smartphone, and are designed to reduce the hidden waste and costs associated with typical power usage.

“Most people aren’t aware of how much energy they're wasting on an everyday basis,” said Valta co-founder Jeff Lin. “With the touch of a button, our smartphone app allows you to turn almost any device on or off, and it can show you what’s on, where, and when, so you can save money and energy.”

Valta, a Toronto-based start-up with offices in Hong-Kong, developed the product to make energy management simpler and easier for the everyday home or business owner.

"I love working with people who are on the cutting edge of technology, while at the same time are doing something to make the world a better place," Boyd said. "The folks at Valta are a stellar example of that combination."

"I've tested the product myself, and I have to say I was pretty impressed," he added.

The product, which includes one or more ‘smart’ power outlets, a v-hub, and a smartphone application, can automatically detect un-used devices, identify energy waste, and send notifications to help users save money and energy.

The Valta system’s easy-to-use, common-sense app interface is made all the more powerful by the system’s high-definition chip set, which is more precise than any other known product on the market.

This allows the system to sense standby power – the power a device uses even when it’s in the “off” position. Standby power usage accounts for as much as 7 to 22 percent of electricity usage worldwide, and adds 50 million tons of CO₂ to the atmosphere annually according to the International Energy Association.

“The typical home is leaking electricity watt by watt, wasting valuable resources and costing homeowners money,” Lin said. “The Valta system can detect that waste, recommend ways to minimize it, and save our customers money.”

Users can save hundreds of dollars a year on their energy bill, depending on their personal use habits.

The Valta system can be used to reduce energy waste on office computers, home entertainment systems, printers, televisions, coffeemakers, washing machines, irons, and virtually any electronic device that plugs into a typical outlet.

Supporters on kickstarter will be among the first to try the new system, which has already been successfully tested in the prototype phase, and plans to mass produce the product in 2013. Kickstarter supporters can pledge as little as $5 to support the company’s goal to create smarter, more efficient energy use, and a pledge of $139 allows supporters to be among the first to receive the product.

For more information on the kickstarter launch visit http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/671204280/valta-energy-usage-simplified?ref=live

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