Now, I do not wish to undermine or degrade the efforts of those involved in developing green gadgets and every green gadget is welcome. But for the last couple of months I have just seen too many devices that have come out to monitor the consumption of power in both home and industrial sectors. This is not to say that further attempts are not welcome, but someone must try and take it a step further and make it a bit harder for folks to waste energy.
The PowerTab is a device that plugs into a home’s circuit breaker to be able to monitor how much power the house is using. From the circuit breaker, the monitor sends a signal via Power Line Communication to the display unit. A person can carry this display unit around the house flicking the power on and off to devices around the house and see, in real time, how much power is being consumed. While it’s a great little tool for educating people about how much power they are consuming by leaving common household items powered on, it also should do a lot more than just provide indications.
As much as we wish to make sure that we live in an ideal world, the fact is that we do not. Despite all the gadgets that monitor electric usage of devices, people still go about merrily and think that they can afford to pay the bills, so they are allowed to waste power. I think we need some consumption monitoring device that makes an unbearable, horrific sound when you use more than required electricity, that it must scare you to waste energy next time. (I know, I have a dangerous mind).
