About CalPlug
The California Plug Load Research Center was established in 2011 to improve energy efficiency in the use and design of plug-load devices. CalPlug focuses on energy efficiency solutions, efficiency evaluations of consumer electronics, standards development, education, public outreach, and user behavior studies. CalPlug will address challenges in plug load efficiency for both residential and commercial buildings by collaborating closely with utilities, manufacturers, advocacy groups, research institutions, and energy policy makers.
Vision
“Energy-conscious plug and process loads for how people work, live, and play”
- Easy-to-use, cost-effective energy solutions targeted to the full range of real users, including disadvantaged communities, small businesses, and other hard-to-reach customers, and education and motivating them to participate.
- Seamless integration of plug loads into everyday life – automatically adjusting to users’ needs and usage patterns enabling user input, and giving useful feedback.
- Integration of plug loads into a system approach responding to availability of renewable resources and grid considerations to support sustainability and reduce GHG impact
Mission Statement
To advance energy efficiency and management solutions for plug loads by promoting best practices and fostering cross-disciplinary collaboration between academia, government agencies, utilities, manufacturers, and the community at large.
Organization Goal
To elevate CalPlug as the premier center for research linking behavior, technology, and policy on plug loads related energy fields, to advance best practices solutions benifiting our environment and society.
Guidance
CalPlug as an organization values multi-disciplinary partnerships aimed toward the highest-quality research and evaluation activities, and effectively communicating scientific information to a general audience and to stakeholders in the field, through workshops, technical reports and other forums. CalPlug and its activities are guided by an advisory board and a chief technology council.
Facility
CalPlug’s physical facilities include an engineering lab, test and demonstration rooms, offices, and space for meetings — over 8,000 sq. ft. in all, located on the building’s fourth floor. Calit2 administers CalPlug and provides it with access to an auditorium, electronics labs, an incubator for startup firms, and visualization and teleconference facilities.