Several different gadgets are currently on the market which allow you to get a better sense of how much energy particular devices are using. AC Cost Control, Watts Up?, and Kill-A-Watt are just a few examples. While they are useful for looking at per-appliance energy usage, other solutions provide more robust whole-house monitoring and metering, ranging from DIY to more consumer-friendly packages.

If you are handy with electronics, you can build your own monitoring and metering devices out of electronic parts on order from catalogue companies. Using this technique, some people have used light sensors and lasers to read their electric meters. An even more sophisticated setup combines monitoring and metering with home automation, with the results publicly available on the Internet: at a glance you can see energy, water, gas, and phone usage.

More consumer-friendly systems offer less customization, but still enable tracking of usage patterns and can project future energy bills. The Energy Detective and the EUM-200 both show energy used and aggregate cost, while the Model 20-CTR from Brand Electronics appears to interface with the ONE Meter and a network connection to show energy usage and cost information on your computer.

Dave Chiu

CATEGORY: ENERGY PROJECT