Patent ID: 7784677

Claim:
An apparatus for reducing energy consumption within an unoccupied room comprising: a keycard; a card reader inside said room dimensioned and configured to receive said keycard and comprising a switch positioned, dimensioned, and configured to be activated substantially upon insertion of said keycard into said card reader and to be deactivated substantially upon removal of said keycard from said card reader; a battery-powered card reader transceiver configured to wirelessly transmit a first signal and a second signal; a card reader controller electrically connected to said switch and said card reader transceiver; and at least one secondary unit comprising a secondary transceiver configured to wirelessly communicate with said card reader transceiver, a secondary controller electrically connected to said secondary transceiver, and a secondary appliance power source electrically connected to said secondary controller; said card reader controller being configured to cause said card reader transceiver to wirelessly transmit said first signal upon activation of said switch and to transmit said second signal upon deactivation of said switch; said secondary controller being configured to connect said secondary appliance power source to an appliance substantially upon said secondary transceiver receiving said first signal; and said secondary controller being further configured to disconnect said secondary appliance power source from said appliance substantially upon said secondary transceiver receiving said second signal and said secondary controller being further configured to cause said secondary transceiver to wirelessly transmit a third signal upon activation of said secondary appliance power source; said card reader controller being further configured to cause said card reader transceiver to transmit a fourth signal if said switch is activated when said card reader transceiver receives said third signal; and said secondary controller being further configured to connect said secondary appliance power source to said appliance substantially upon said secondary transceiver receiving said fourth signal.