A month or so ago I wrote a rambling article on how we could all find out the optimum use of electric and gas by constantly testing different settings, for example by turning your central heating down or reducing the time you have your hot water heating for.
What I think I was trying to say was that it’s difficult to really see how much we’re wasting on power because there is no realtime feedback of costs – just a bill that drops through your door every few months.
Reuters is reporting that a new device is to be trialled which will give instant feedback on power use:
Fifteen thousand people will soon be able to see how exactly much their electric gadgets are costing them as part of new trials aimed at cutting energy waste and fighting climate change. The government hopes that if people can see how much energy their big new TVs are wasting while they are in the kitchen using still more power making tea and toast, they might change their behaviour.
The hope is that by being able to see how much we’re wasting, it will prompt us to do more about it.