Amazon will let you see how much power your Echos are sucking up
Alexa will then suggest features to help save energy.
- Named a Tech Media Trailblazer by the Consumer Technology Association in 2019, a winner of SPJ NorCal's Excellence in Journalism Awards in 2022 and has three times been a finalist in the LA Press Club's National Arts & Entertainment Journalism Awards.
Amazon unveiled new Echo devices at its product launch event Thursday.
Amazon is amping up its sustainability efforts by launching an energy dashboard for consumers to see the power consumption of their Echo- and Alexa-compatible smart home devices. Alexa will then use this information to suggest features that can help save energy. For instance, Alexa can run a routine to turn off the lights and adjust a thermostat after 10 p.m., Dave Limp, Amazon's senior vice president of devices and services, said during the company's annual product launch event Thursday.
Limp also said Amazon is building new wind and solar farms to match the electricity used by Echo devices, "putting the same amount of clean energy back into the grid that's being used by the devices themselves. We'll expand this to match the energy consumption of all of our devices over the next several years," he said.
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Additionally, Amazon is adding a low-power mode to its new wall-powered Echo and Fire TV devices, to make them more energy efficient. It'll also roll out a free over-the-air update that'll bring low-power mode to devices already in customers' homes.
Limp said the new Echo and Fire TV devices Amazon unveiled at its event are the company's "most sustainable yet." They're made of materials including 100% postconsumer recycled fabric and 100% recycled die cast aluminum. He added that these devices will be among the first to get a Climate Pledge Friendly badge, part of a program announced earlier this week to highlight items that've been certified as sustainable products by a wide range of partners.
Last week, Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos announced The Climate Pledge, a plan to make the e-commerce company carbon neutral by 2040. Bezos said he'd contact other tech CEOs and urge them to sign on to the agreement. He also announced a new $100 million reforestation effort and an order for 100,000 electric delivery vans. On Thursday, Limp added that Amazon is "on track to run 100% renewable energy by 2025," five years ahead of the company's schedule.
