smart energy heralds era of cool new gadgets

We've heard a lot of talk about smart grids as of late.  The recent government stimulus package allocated $4.4 billion for smart grid technology and last month Google stepped up and introduced PowerMeter, which "will receive information from utility smart meters and energy management devices and provide anyone who signs up access to her home electricity consumption right on her iGoogle homepage".

All this excitement and momentum has web entrepreneurs chomping at the bit, but most people don't even understand what a "smart grid" is.  Smart grids represent a comprehensive vision for a future energy strategy, so a bite size definition often proves elusive:

In other words, smart grid technology forms the basis for more efficient energy consumption by all of us.  The deployment of "smart energy" uses information technology to empower consumers to be more aware of their energy usage and consumption behavior.  To do this, you'll need networked monitoring devices attached to your electric, gas and water meters.  Many utilities have already started installing smart meters or are scheduled to start installing them this year. 

Beyond smart meters however, there is an increasing array of cool energy monitoring gadgets for your home - which can communicate with each other over a wireless network or directly via the electrical wiring in your home.

These new devices should become increasingly popular as they intersect three fundamental forces - cost efficiency, environmental impact reduction and our modern obsession with cool electronic toys.

Solar power systems, with their extensive arrays of photovoltaic modules, inverter boxes and power meters have massive appeal to the gadget prone - but they're still too expensive for most of us.  Insulating the attic or installing weatherstripping on your doors and windows is far more cost effective and has the greatest potential to make a real impact at the global scale.  Yet for all that low hanging fruit - weatherizing your home remains one of the least cool things eco-conscious consumers can do to make an impact.

Why?  Well - for one thing, nobody else knows about those sweet modifications you made to your home.  Your neighbours see it when you take out the recycling bin every Wednesday - and they'll tell their friends about your impressive new solar installation, but how will they ever know that you reduced your energy bill by 15%?

Thankfully, new energy monitoring gadgets will provide us with the feedback we need to better understand and eliminate our excessive or unnecessary energy consumption.  And evolving open standards for sharing that information being developed by the likes of Google and Fat Spaniel will provide a platform for sharing that story and encouraging others to follow suit.  Indeed, it will probably not be very long before you'll be bragging to all your friends on Twitter or Facebook about how you were able to use 20% less energy last month - and you've got some sweet graphs to prove it!