Whether it's a super-size cup on an early Monday morning or the pick-me-up cup at 3 PM, the coffee maker is a crucial part of any happy office. And if your office has one of those coffee makers with single-serve coffee units, everyone can have their brew just the way they like it. Yum.

A mystery. The sleek, external face of the office coffee maker gives no indication of its internal workings. How does the machine work? Does it use a lot of power? When is it using power?

Black box unveiled. For one high-end office coffee maker, the modlet noticed its water reservoir being warmed around the clock so it can instantaneously brew coffee when a single-serve unit is inserted. This heating takes 65 watts of power on average, 24/7. While undeniably a wonderful customer convenience feature, it is only relevant when people want coffee.

Now what? The net effect of this ever-ready feature is that 55% of the energy consumed by this coffee maker is wasted during evenings and weekends. By automatically cutting power to this coffee maker when not needed, the modlet saved the equivalent of $63 per year on this one machine. Same office productivity, now delivered efficiently.

In this section, we share savings and insights sent in by modlet users.
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