Google forms PowerMeter partnership

October 7, 2009 by Lin Edwards weblog
Google PowerMeter

Enlarge

Google PowerMeter

(PhysOrg.com) -- Google has announced it has secured its first official device partner for Google PowerMeter, which means you can now use the software without having a smart meter installed by your utility company.

Google PowerMeter was launched earlier this year, and is a free software package for monitoring usage. Until now it has only worked for homes with smart meters installed, which is only 6% of the market in North America. Smart meters are installed by utilities and provide information about electricity use more regularly than the more usual monthly. They are designed mainly to help the utilities cope with peaks and troughs in the demand for electricity.

Knowing first-hand how much energy your home is using is a powerful way to adjust your energy use. So Google decided to make electricity use data accessible to everyone, with Google PowerMeter.

After a year of talks, Google has now finalized a device partnership with Energy Inc. and its product The Energy Detective (TED). This means that anyone in North America who purchases and installs a TED 5000 will be able to use Google PowerMeter via the web or via with if they wish to monitor their energy use. If you already have a TED 5000 a free upgrade is available for download.

One advantage of the partnership is that the software can become available for more people more quickly. Another advantage is that the TED 5000 provides more data than the smart meters, and the information is available online from Google PowerMeter at 10-minute intervals. This is significantly better than data, and the device is geared more to the consumer than to the electricity provider.

Near-immediate access to energy use information is important because the energy user is likely to be more engaged with the data, and that engagement tends to lead to changes in behavior that result in reducing the electricity use. The PowerMeter and TED 5000 combination will allow users to view almost instant data, as well as weekly trends and comparisons with other PowerMeter users.

TED 5000

TED 5000

Energy Inc.'s President and CEO, Dolph Rodenberg said he expects the partnership with Google to raise public awareness of energy use. An association with Google might also help with Energy Inc.'s efforts to raise funds.

The standard TED 5000 retails for about $200, and can be installed by anyone familiar enough with electrical components and the circuit breaker panel to be confident working with the electric panel removed. Installation is a breeze for an electrician.

Energy Inc. is the first company to become a device partner with Google PowerMeter, and is actively seeking more energy monitor manufacturers for possible future partnerships.

More information:

• Google PowerMeter software
• Google blog post
• TED 5000

© 2009 PhysOrg.com

Filter


Move the slider to adjust rank threshold, so that you can hide some of the comments.


Display comments: newest first

Izzmo
Oct 07, 2009

Rank: 3.5 / 5 (2)
Sounds awesome, and cheap. I will probably install one for myself.. and to see if my energy company is really screwing me over or not. (Unfortunately, probably not..)
RayCherry
Oct 08, 2009

Rank: 4 / 5 (1)
Who else can then see/monitor your electricity use? Where the Internet has revolutionised information access, it also eliminates any privacy we thought we had.

While the web based energy monitor works very well for those whom present consciouness of the problems we can all help to reduce, it will backfire if others access private information and oblidge people to meet usage targets.
CyberRat
Oct 13, 2009

Rank: not rated yet
Government in the Netherlands is planning to enforce installation of a smart power meter in every home, only to be read and recorded by the power company you get your bills from. I hope they change that to local recording and access for the customer only, because never ever i will allow such detailed monitoring about my real life.
CyberRat
Oct 13, 2009

Rank: not rated yet
Sounds awesome, and cheap. I will probably install one for myself.. and to see if my energy company is really screwing me over or not. (Unfortunately, probably not..)


You work for a energy company i guess?

Rank 3 /5 (9 votes)
Tags

smart meter, electricity, google powermeter, google, igoogle, smart phones
Related Stories
more news
Relevant PhysicsForums posts
  • How to tilt a object
    created14 hours ago
  • How to calculate total compressibility in liquid porous solid system
    created20 hours ago
  • Need help reading 3-D
    createdFeb 11, 2012
  • A way to send and receive wireless data
    createdFeb 11, 2012
  • Calling function with no input argument
    createdFeb 10, 2012
  • Force free body diagram problem on gym equipment
    createdFeb 10, 2012
  • More from Physics Forums - General Engineering

More news stories

Microsoft India retail site down after 'cyber attack'

Microsoft said Monday it was investigating an attack by hackers on its Indian retail website, reportedly carried out by a Chinese group called the "Evil Shadow Team."

Technology / Internet

created 5 hours ago | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

Chinese city seizes Apple iPads in name dispute

(AP) -- Authorities have seized Apple iPads from retailers in a city in northern China due to a dispute with a domestic company that says it owns the iPad name, an official said Monday. The Chinese company said it is asking ...

Technology / Business

created 5 hours ago | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

AT&T customers surprised by 'unlimited data' limit

(AP) -- Mike Trang likes to use his iPhone 4 as a GPS device, helping him get around in his job. Now and then, his younger cousins get ahold of it, and play some YouTube videos and games.

Technology / Telecom

created 7 hours ago | popularity 5 / 5 (2) | comments 3

Independent group inspects Apple supplier

(AP) -- An independent group, the Fair Labor Association, has started auditing Apple Inc.'s Chinese supplier Foxconn after a request by Apple.

Technology / Business

created 1 hour ago | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

Hacker claims porn site users compromised

A hacker claims to have compromised the personal information of more than 350,000 users after breaking into a disused website operated by pornography provider Brazzers.

Technology / Internet

created 6 hours ago | popularity 5 / 5 (3) | comments 0


Slowing ocean current caused Earth to spin faster

(PhysOrg.com) -- Most people probably didn’t notice it, but back in 2009, the Earth spun around on its axis a tiny bit faster than usual, making for some slightly shorter days. It only happened for a ...

China's pollution related to E-cars may be more harmful than gasoline cars, researchers find

Electric cars have been heralded as environmentally friendly, but findings from University of Tennessee, Knoxville, researchers show that electric cars in China have an overall impact on pollution that could be more harmful ...

What we mean when we ask for the milk

New research into the different ways that English and Polish people use language in everyday family situations can help members of each community to understand each other better and avoid cultural misunderstandings.

Nerve sparing helps most prostate cancer patients to have same orgasms as before surgery

The vast majority of men who have a prostate cancer operation can retain their ability to orgasm if the surgery is carried out without removing the nerves that surround the prostate gland like a hammock, according to a study ...

Larger belly linked to memory problems in people with HIV

A larger waistline may be linked to an increased risk of decreased mental functioning in people infected with the AIDS virus HIV, according to research published in the February 14, 2012, print issue of Neurology, the me ...

Big fish reveal shelter secrets on reefcam

When it comes to choosing a place to hang out, big reef fish like coral trout, snappers and sweetlips have strong architectural preferences.