GOEFER Launches Energy Saving Technology Pilot Program at ROOT

Early-stage technology company GOEFER has teamed up with ROOT’s five partner organizations to conduct a pilot program of the company’s proprietary energy technology, which analyzes energy usage and gives users greater control.

ROOT, a collaborative business innovation center in downtown Frederick, is home to the Frederick County Office of Economic Development, the Frederick County Chamber of Commerce, the Frederick Innovative Technology Center (FITCI), the Center for Research and Education in Science and Technology (CREST), and Hood College’s Martha E. Church Center for Community & Civic Engagement. GOEFER operates out of FITCI’s incubator in ROOT.

“This kind of collaboration is exactly what we were hoping to see take place inside ROOT,” said County Executive Jan Gardner. “Our tenants are supporting each other as they test innovative and cutting-edge technology.”

As part of the pilot, 30 offices and 11 common areas in ROOT’s historic three-story building were outfitted with GOEFER’s Advanced Powerstrips, which communicate wirelessly. Users can monitor plugged-in devices and track their progress through a customized dashboard on GOEFER’s app. This five-week pilot program will provide the startup company with 780-million specific data points to

FITCI CEO Kathie Callahan Brady is excited to see the initiative moving forward. “Startup companies and other small businesses have notoriously thin budgets,” Brady said. “Every penny counts. These are people driven by passion who risk everything on a chance to follow their dreams. Giving them the insight to use resources wisely while supporting a greener planet is a definite win-win.”support product development.

GOEFER’s customers range from managers of large buildings with hundreds of employees to individual home owners. “We always hear about scaling up and plugging into a city’s grand skyscraper skyline,” says Michael Herod, co-founder of GOEFER. “This pilot program is about tuning in to the millions of small businesses who want to be good stewards of their resources and giving them the same level of comprehension and control as a much larger corporation.”

Over the next few weeks, GOEFER will process data and complete a customized dashboard. Results will show tenants how to fine-tune usage schedules and reveal which specific electronic devices have the highest draw. Advanced Powerstrips can then be programmed to completely power down select machines at off hours. Findings can also help users uncover how a certain brand or model compares to a similar piece of equipment, which is helpful in informing future purchases.

About GOEFER: Based in Frederick, Maryland, GOEFER was founded in 2015 and is a client of the Frederick Innovative Technology Center. Their system has collected, processed and analyzed more than 5.6-billion data points in the last six months. The results help customers make product comparisons, tailor usage schedules and flag energy wasters, commonly known as the “vampire” load. (Every glowing status light sneakily siphons energy.) Visit goefer.com for more information about GOEFER’s commercial or residential energy solutions. 

About ROOT: ROOT is where business ideas are born. A vision of Frederick County Executive Jan Gardner, ROOT is a one-stop public-private partnership to jump-start new businesses and energize innocation in Frederick County. The partner organizations at ROOT provide innovative services to assist all types of businesses including networking events, meetup groups, business pitch services, classes, seminars and more. To learn more about ROOT, visit www.rootfrederick.com