Watt Window®
Got questions?
Things you may want to know, so you can gauge if Watt Window is right for you.
FAQ sections
Solution
Answers about the Watt Window tool’s features and benefits
Overview
What is Watt Window?
Watt Window gives industrial companies near-live insights into their production energy use and cost, in money and CO2e terms, plus predictive maintenance, at device, route, product, customer, or shift level.
We package these insights in a user-friendly, action-focused solution that works for all manufacturers, even smaller ones.
If you care about their energy use or machine uptime, we can help.
For more, see our Solution or How it works pages.
What specific metrics does Watt Window monitor?
The app shows A, V, $ energy cost, mT CO2e carbon emissions (carbon based on EPA standards).
Maintenance alerts, the app and text message alerts give you device temperature in Celsius and Fahrenheit and vibration (green/ yellow/ red) matched to relevant ISO standards.
But we also monitor a much broader range of advanced retrievable metrics (e.g., harmonics). That wider range is available via API.
We can also ingest analog signals. That lets you bring in existing instrumentation for process and utility data such as natural gas flow to burners, heater power or firing rate, and furnace or heat-treat temperature readings, depending on what’s relevant for your site.
What do you measure for predictive maintenance?
We offer you both mechanical and electric condition monitoring and alerts, including:
- Vibration condition
- Temperature condition
- Power and energy trends
Vibration and temperature alert you to anomalities up to two weeks earlier than power/ energy spikes.
And by monitoring both drive and non-drive sides (plus more if helpful to you), we can speed your maintenance team’s diagnosis by pinpointing the location of any issues.
You still benefit from power and energy trends. Our in-app visualization of recent device performance trends (available soon) speeds up issue diagnosis and confirms issue locations.
How can users access the data?
We offer a web dashboard that’s available on the monitor we include with every install and also from any user’s computer. (Mobile browser access works but is not yet optimized.)
Maintenance alerts also are sent as text messages to any phone number the user provides.
Data can be downloaded as .csv files.
API access is coming soon.
Is your solution U.S.-certified (e.g., for NEC)?
Yes.
We use tier-one brand sensing hardware from brands you know and that is UL Listed or UL Recognized (as applicable), CE-marked, and IP65/IP69K ingress-protection rated. Our control cabinets are UL 508A Listed industrial control panels.
How long does solution installation take?
We’d love to give you a one-size-fits-all answer. But honestly, it depends on the site.
We estimate 2 – 6 hours/ node. But it might be faster if the machine is easily accessible at ground level. You might get by with 45min/ node. But it’ll just take longer if the installation takes place atop a tower, underground, or in a hard-to-reach spot.
The best way for you to get a sense for specifics is for us have a call together where we can discuss the needs of your site and show you the hardware we use. Your professional experience will give you a good sense for what to expect. Just book time with us.
Fit for you
Does the solution work for small and large factories?
Yes.
For smaller sites, the system can monitor any equipment with 15A or more of motor control.
In practice, ROI becomes meaningful once a facility has roughly 2,000+ amps of pure motor control across its equipment.
For larger sites, the system scales to many monitored loads. If a facility has more than 500 individual machines or other loads, contact us so we can confirm inventory and configuration lead times.
Does the solution work for all industries?
In a word, yes.
We’ve worked in a range of industries. Each is unique (as our industry pages show for a selection of them). But so far, we’ve seen any where Watt Window doesn’t work.
That said, Watt Window offers the most value in industries with significant motors and motor-driven equipment, where electrical load patterns and maintenance data reveal the most useful insights.
If you are concerned that something unique to your industry, company, or site might pose a challenge, just book a call, and let’s just talk through it together.
Is Watt Window for permanent install or occasional diagnostic testing?
Permanent install is the natural fit.
If you’re a consultant who wants to do long-term time studies, e.g., for before vs. after analyses, let’s talk. That may work too.
But we won’t offer good ROI for short-term installs.
Is Watt Window for new factory construction or retrofit?
Both.
We made the solution modular and universally-compatible. So it’s really about what works best for you.
Can my whole team use Watt Window?
In a word, yes.
Easy onboarding: We specifically designed Watt Window for the needs of operators, not data scientists. If you are qualified to work in your company’s production (whether operations, engineering, maintenance, or more), you’ll be just fine.
If you’d like to book a call, we’ll also show you the solution in action.
Unlimited users: We don’t charge for more users. If you want operations, maintenance, accounting, sustainability, and your CEO all to have access, that’s great.
Working together
Answers about everything beyond the solution itself
Working with us
How long are your subscriptions?
You buy the hardware outright. So there is no contract there.
The software (“SaaS”) subscription is annual, paid in advance for the coming 12 months.
Can I contact you for questions?
Yes. That said, your first and often best point of contact (PoC) is the Watt Window champion at your site. This is typically the person who told you about your new Watt Window access.
But still yes, we are absolutely available too. We don’t employ any kind of call center or third party. Contacting us means talking to our team, even our founder directly.
You’ll receive our user contact info as part of your onboarding.
What are the steps, should a Watt Window component fail?
We built Watt Window with the best hardware we know for the job. The equipment should give you many years of trouble-free service.
But things can happen:
Your installer is liable for a professional solution installation, just as for all machinery at your site.
We warranty the hardware for 1 year from install. You as the end customer bear the cost of later repairs or replacements.
You also bear the cost for other (non-warranty) hardware repairs or replacement, e.g., due to damage caused by your staff during plant operation or maintenance.
Replacement hardware must be ordered through us. Please contact us directly to do so.
An installer of your choice will complete the repair. We strongly suggest using the same installer who first installed the equipment, who will be most familiar with it.
(Side bar: The need to order through us is not about money. It’s necessary for the solution to work: Each component receives a unique ID that we must track in our system. Many parts also require configuration. So we can only send you parts once they are cataloged and configured.)
Also, please contact us for unusual situations. In reality, we’ll work with you to find solutions wherever possible. It’s just good to have baseline expectations clear.
Money
What determines solution cost?
As you’d imagine, we configure the Watt Window solution for each site’s unique needs. We will determine specific costs for your site based on a site survey.
Overall, cost is a function of hardware cost and data cost:
Hardware cost is largely a linear multiple of configured hardware needed.
We simplified subscription costs into bands, so there are flat rates for small vs. large sites.
How do payments work?
Hardware order: You pay your installer as you would for any other electrical job. You and they determine the specifics.
App subscription: The Watt Window solution requires an active subscription. You pay that subscription for the coming year directly to us.
We invoice by email.
What payment methods do you accept?
We accept ACH payments, checks, credit cards, and debit cards.
For ACH, you have the option to use the button included in your invoice email or to use another ACH transfer method that your bank offers. We will provide our bank information with our invoice.
For checks, mail is of course the only way.
For card payments, please use the button included in your invoice email. It will direct you to Stripe, our payment processor.
What if I need to cancel?
You can cancel at any time. You’ll retain access to the Watt Window app through the end of your current year-long subscription, assuming all hardware remains in place and active.
We do not issue refunds for cancelations before the end of your current year-long subscription.
Contact
Got more questions?
Let’s talk! The scheduler at right will help you find a time.
Or email info@wattwindow.com, if you prefer that.
