Google Powermeter

Message 715 of 845

Imagine going out for dinner and ordering off a menu with no prices- you wouldn’t know how much things cost until the end of the meal, and you’d probably end up ordering more than you really need- and, you’d never really know how the bill got so high. Well, that’s how most of us pay for our energy use. The Google PowerMeter aims to change that.

The Google Powermeter is a free visualization tool for home electricity usage monitoring. It displays smart meter readings from around the house on a customized iGoogle page. It operates on the premise that if people know how much energy they are using and the specific causes of spikes they will reduce their consumption- a simple idea that can dramatically change how people use electricity the home.

The US version is still in beta testing.

posted by LaylaTX

WOW ... this is too kewl! I think most of us could use a wake up call such as this ...

posted by cheenna
over 2 years ago

It is important to know where the energy is being used.

That way we can get rid of the energy hogs.

It is a really great thing!

posted by LaylaTX
over 2 years ago

I will never forget the time when we had a broken water line that did not show a leak and we did not know about it until the HUGE bill came from the water company. If we had been aware of the problem we could have avoided the cost and the waste of water. It would be nice if there was a central control panel in each house where a homeowner could monitor utility usage.

posted by sandl
over 2 years ago

Yes! Water usage should be watched too.

Water is the number one destroyer of property, I think.
Small leaks can really do a lot of damage.
Big leaks can cause people to have to leave the home while they are fixed, not to mention the accompanying mold.

posted by LaylaTX
over 2 years ago