April 3, 2009

Wattson in the Homes

We have one of these.

It's gorgeous. It looks sleek and modern and intriguing. It has won design awards. We're the first kids on the block to have one.

Wattson measures the total energy output in our home. It glows with an approving blue light when the energy usage is low, which turns increasingly red as more energy is consumed.

Our kids have started turning out lights on their own in response to that subtle visual cue. They point to it and say, 'Mommy, Wattson's angry now so we have to turn some things off!'

Wattson is gently and politely changing our lives.

15 comments:

  1. I should've had one of those years ago. How cool.

    ReplyDelete
  2. That's so cool! I want one!!!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Ok, I think we are generally pretty good (I am actually pretty obsessive about turning things off)but I am intrigued: where's a link? What does it cost, is it from a utility? How do you set the baseline, what does it take into account (if I live in Barcelona, I probably don't need a lot of heat).
    Tell us more!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Wow. With only 402 Wattsons out there, you really are an early adopter. Are you associated with the firm? It's interesting to watch, although we spend so little each month on electric that I'm not certain it's useful here. It would be far more useful in the States, where our comfort often depends on electricity.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Here's a link if anyone else is interested. http://www.reuk.co.uk/print.php?article=Wattson-Energy-Meter.htm Ralf really researches stuff like this and is a typical early adopter but it does work well. I like it more than I thought I would. It's very elegant.

    ReplyDelete
  6. That *is* cool, and I would like to have that in addition to the wind turbine I've got on my wishlist.
    I wonder how much electricity my nun blower uses. Probably a lot.

    ReplyDelete
  7. I think my mother has a built in Wattson - and it has rubbed off on me. Got to switch off lights wherever I go. Even in other people's homes...

    ReplyDelete
  8. Thats so cool. I never heard of such a thing

    ReplyDelete
  9. I've never even heard of this! This even sounds awesome to me!

    ReplyDelete
  10. I want a Wattson!

    ReplyDelete
  11. Wow - brilliant idea. Brilliant. Where can I get one?

    ReplyDelete
  12. How cool! We have a small monitor that tells us what our electricity consumption is at any given moment, and we watch that quite obsessively. But glowing lights is definitely a step forward.

    ReplyDelete
  13. Actually, that last comment was me! Grr, silly computer.

    ReplyDelete
  14. HEY HONEYPIE! Okay... Need your help!! :)

    ...so I found several places I can get one of these cool little things, but I want it to be a surprise for my husband... So can I ask you guys for help? ...because I'm pretty dumb when it comes to these things!

    Here are my dumb questions - If I buy it from the UK can I plug it in in Denmark? ...or do you need a transformer/adapter? Think I could use it in the States?

    I'd ask my husband, but it's a surprise. :) I won't tell you how many things I've "blown up" by plugging them into places they shouldn't have been. !!

    ReplyDelete

Related Posts with Thumbnails