Google Power Meter in the UK
Google PowerMeter
You may remember, about 18 months ago, we got an energy monitor and not long after I posted a comment about a new scheme from Google that provided a similar service over the internet. At the time, Google PowerMeter was only available in the US, but it now looks as though it is coming to the UK.
Google PowerMeter is a free electricity usage monitoring tool that provides you with information on how much energy you are consuming in your house. Google PowerMeter receives information from utility smart meters and provides a visualisation of this information for you on iGoogle (your personalized Google homepage).
The utility company first:utility has partnered with Google and at the moment is the only energy supplier in the United Kingdom to provide free smart meters to its customers. They are currently in the process of rolling them out across the country.[More info here]
Overall it looks like a great idea and no doubt other utility companies will be offering similar packages soon. I’m not sure that it would necessarily be a good idea to switch electricity providers just to get the service – especially seeing as first:utility get mixed reviews – but knowing just how much electricity you are using has got to be a good thing. Until you know how much energy you are using, it is difficult to make savings.
For now I’ll stick with the energy monitor that we have here. That way I know how much electricity we are using, but Google doesn’t!
Don’t forget, saving energy not only saves the planet but saves you money too!
