Google PowerMeter: Personal Energy Use

Warning: This post is for geeks only, but lets be honest, it is pretty cool.

Google’s PowerMeter (now on limited trial) shows your home’s real-time energy use on a smart phone or web browser. The energy monitoring software needs hardware–a hook-up to the electrical power system–in order to work, but that is just a detail.

In my house, the kids like to keep a light on in any room they ‘might’ go in — at some point during the day. The PowerMeter will allow me to show them how our energy consumption changes in a way they can understand. Or, they roll their eyes and think their dad has gone completely geek on them.

Regardless, I can’t wait until Google’s PowerMeter is available in my area.