Electrical Savings the High Tech way
Posted by Carol Hart on Mon, Mar 08, 2010 @ 02:20 PM
2010 is looking to be a big year for energy monitoring devices. The much-touted smart grid is slowly moving into place and will enable electric utilities to make better decisions about power availablity and usage, but the consumer has been pretty much left in the dark. That's about to change.
A number of products are poised to change the way we consume energy in the home by giving us real time information about our energy usage. Like counting calories or monitoring real-time gas mileage, the idea is that knowing where you are consuming energy is the first step in reducing energy consumption. One such device, The Energy Detective (available now, although backordered) provides immediate feedback about total number of kilowatts being used, and total electrical costs. It ties into your breaker board and transmits information to a receiver panel (see the demo video here). Models are available directly to the consumer from around $200 dollars, but should be installed by a licensed electrician.
Another device, not yet available to the public, promises even more detailed information and control options. The EnergyHub was named by Time magazine as Invention of the Year in 2009 because of its potential to save billions in energy dollars. All appliances in your home are monitored for energy use, and the control panel (about the size of your electric thermostat) enables you to adjust your usage accordingly. The reason EnergyHub is on my "can't wait" list? It's 3 profiles: Home, Away, and Goodnight. At the touch of a button, you can leave the house, knowing that your hot water heater and the heat have been turned down, the lights are off, and you are maximized for energy savings. (Check out the demo here. ) No word yet on cost but you can bet I'll be watching this one closely.