ThinkEco Modlympics Challenges Businesses and Students to Save Energy

NEW YORK, April 17, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- A new energy-saving social networking challenge developed by ThinkEco, an energy efficiency company, is now available to businesses and students throughout the U.S.  The Modlympics allows people to challenge themselves and compete with their co-workers and friends to reduce the electricity waste caused by plugged-in devices in their offices and college campuses. Interested participants can sign up for the Modlympics after purchasing a modlet – a smart outlet that plugs directly into an existing wall outlet – through the mymodlet.com web application.

(Photo:  http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20120417/NY88996-a )

(Photo:  http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20120417/NY88996-b )

Modlympics participants can use their modlet to monitor and control the energy consumption of any plugged-in device with the new Modlympics dashboard, which works seamlessly with the ThinkEco modlet platform. By using the modlet platform for Modlympics energy challenges, modletes (Modlympics participants) can accurately track their baseline energy use and then set energy-saving schedules or control electronic devices remotely from a smartphone to save energy.  The usage of real data and actual power control alleviates the frustrations associated with other energy challenges that rely on stale, inaccurate or aggregated data, overlaid with participants' self-reported impacts.

The Modlympics user interface allows teams of modletes to work together and compete against other teams. A challenge administrator first sets up the challenge by naming teams, assigning participants to them, and designating team captains who are in charge of moderating the team's conversations about their energy savings. All participants then get access to the challenge dashboard to track their team's performance against other teams. An engaging mix of education and social networking, the Modlympics dashboard enables idea sharing between teammates and displays the top-saving electronic devices for each team. Challenge administrators can also develop mini-motivational contests from ThinkEco's menu of options, such as a power-hog device search or an idea-sharing race, and participants earn badges as they complete specific milestones.

ThinkEco's Modlympics is being initially rolled out to corporations, colleges and schools.  "At the corporate level, the Modlympics is a great way to engage and incentivize employees to participate in corporate sustainability programs, allowing them to actually see how much they are saving and where," said Heidi Perry, Director of Sustainability at ThinkEco. "For example, employees can now see that their space heater costs the company $50 each winter, or that turning off the nearest hallway printer on the weekends and evenings saves 45 percent of the energy used by that printer. This tangible cause-and-effect insight is unique to the modlet and serves as a very powerful learning experience for participants."

On campuses across the U.S., college students can also do their part to curb consumption on campus and at home, while younger students can learn about energy conservation and participate in school-wide challenges.  As part of the launch of the Modlympics to colleges, 25 students will win a modlet starter kit this summer to kick-off on-campus savings.  To learn more about this initiative and sign up for a chance to win, go to www.modlympics.com.

Modlets are available for purchase at themodlet.com and at BestBuy.com.  The modlet starter kit retails for $50 and includes a two-plug modlet, a USB receiver, free software and offers free apps for iOS devices and Android. ThinkEco also sells modlet systems for larger installations.

About ThinkEco, Inc.

Founded in 2008, ThinkEco, Inc. is a New York City-based company developing easy-to-use energy efficiency solutions for homes and businesses. Its flagship product, the modlet, is an intelligent outlet that provides a simple, low-cost and installation-free method for saving money and energy on electronic appliances. The modlet software is a web application that has been developed in a scalable client-server architecture. The modlet® has received multiple awards and was recently featured on the Martha Stewart Show, the Today Show and the Early Show.

For more information, visit www.thinkecoinc.com or follow the company on Twitter @ThinkEco and Facebook at www.facebook.com/ThinkEco.

SOURCE ThinkEco, Inc.