In my last post, I told you about the PowerCost Monitor by Blue Line Innovations. This week, I'd like to tell you about what Google is doing with regards to energy monitoring.Google PowerMeter shows consumers their electricity consumption in a secure Google gadget. This is a relatively new product, so Google is still in the process of testing it with a number of utility partners in the US, India, Germany, and Canada.
As I mentioned in my earlier post, studies show that real-time feedback of your household's personal energy information is likely to save you 5–15% on your monthly bill. Even greater savings are possible if you use this information to see the value of retiring your old refrigerator, installing a new air conditioner or insulating your home. The potential impact of large numbers of people achieving similar efficiencies is even more exciting. For every six households that save 10% on electricity, for instance, we reduce carbon emissions as much as taking one conventional car off the road.
Unfortunately, Google's energy monitoring service is not available in NC yet. However, other monitoring services are becoming available, such as the free one launched by Piedmont Electric a few months ago that uses MyUsage.com.
