Smart meters saving the planet one gadget at a time

19.10.2010

New gadgets are helping to bring smart meters into the domestic market, and with them easier ways to save money on energy consumption. 

For example, the Wattson is a simplified smart meter. A sensor clipped onto a house’s fusebox monitors the electromagnetic field in the wires coming from it, and sends the information, wirelessly, to the Wattson box. It shows a homeowner how much power they’re using, and how much that would cost if they kept everything on all day, every day. 

Another option is the PassivEnergy management system, which takes over the home’s central heating and hot water controls, using in-room thermometers, a wireless hub, and a new central heating controller to manage energy use more efficiently.

Smart meters might keep you informed but actually saving the energy - and money - is still down to the consumer.

"Smart meters are not magic. They are a tool and they are like every other tool - you have got to use it and use it intelligently," said Sarah Darby, from the Environmental Change Institute at Oxford University. 

For the full story, visit the BBC website.