Patent ID: 7839017

Claim:
A system for remotely controlling one or more electricity consuming appliances, the system comprising: an adapter configured to couple to a switch associated with controlling the one or more electricity consuming appliances, wherein a state of the switch is associated with an operational status of the one or more electricity consuming appliances, the adaptor comprising: a sensor configured to detect a state of the switch, the switch having been electrically isolated from the electrical load associated with each of the electricity consuming appliances; a communications interface configured to wirelessly transmit a signal indicative of the detected state of the switch to a controller, the controller being configured to control the electrical load associated with each of the electricity consuming appliances based on at least the detected state of the switch as detected by the sensor and indicated by the wirelessly transmitted signal, wherein control of the electrical load results in the operational status associated with the detected state of the switch; and a power unit configured to provide power to the sensor and the communications interface.