NYT: Google's PowerMeter to let users track electricity usage

The New York Times is reporting Google will announce a free web service tomorrow called PowerMeter that'll let users track energy consumption in their homes or business, provided there's a means to upload the data. That part of the equation's gonna be up to other companies to create compatible devices, and while no manufacturing partners have been named, we'd suspect strange bedfellow GE will probably jump aboard pretty quickly. The service is expected to roll out in the next few months. Ready to give the boys in Mountain View even more access to your life?

Update: The official site has launched. According to the FAQ, PowerMeter is currently in closed beta. There's also a video about the program, which you can peep after the break.

[bob sakamano @ Feb 9th 2009 10:40PM]

is this an april fools joke?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Google's_hoaxes

[brandon @ Feb 9th 2009 11:01PM]

Right, I mean its like totally April 1st........

[Knee to the Groin @ Feb 10th 2009 12:34AM]

Isn't this you?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dumbass

[bob sakamano @ Feb 10th 2009 12:36AM]

it was just very random thing in my point of view for google to be doing r-tards... calm down i know its not april

[Runithard @ Feb 9th 2009 10:43PM]

neat

[nerdtalker @ Feb 9th 2009 10:54PM]

http://www.google.com/search?q=Kill-a-watt&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a

Kill-A-Watt anyone? I already have 2 which I use to monitor everything. Turns out my computers represent almost a negligible amount of my power consumption. Big surprise.

[Andre @ Feb 9th 2009 10:46PM]

Sure, why not.

[Californian @ Feb 10th 2009 7:07PM]

@ Andre: That was in response to allowing Google more access to your life, right?
Personally, they can track my every move and breath and it would only make me happier, but hopefully everyone (not just Ross Miller) understands that Google doesn't actually point and laugh that you seem to be cooking only once every three years and come up with stories about how you must eat McDonalds all day. It seems like the idea of "privacy" has come to not allowing impersonal objects such as computers know what you are doing, so everyone might want to stop using their trusty pen because it knows everything you've written, and if it decides to, your pen can suddenly turn all of that information over to the government at any point in time. NOT!

[Saad Rabia @ Feb 9th 2009 10:48PM]

*2 years later*

Google PowerMeter (Beta)

[bradleybossard @ Feb 9th 2009 10:52PM]

Isn't Google in Mountain View and not Menlo Park?

[yao @ Feb 9th 2009 11:34PM]

yes.

[Taylor. Yes, Taylor. @ Feb 10th 2009 2:14AM]

Yeah. Engadget fail, big time.

[miker @ Feb 9th 2009 11:03PM]

Right. Now they want us to share personal energy usage patterns with them. And I am sure millions will flock to do exactly that without any real concern. Like everything else Google comes up with. Do no evil. Sure.

[HereAndNow @ Feb 10th 2009 4:42PM]

There will no doubt be an API that any company can use to build creative power monitoring & control solutions. The good thing about Google getting involved & demonstrating the concept is that it raises awareness...often times at the global level.

[dale @ Feb 9th 2009 11:04PM]

doesn't my electric bill track energy consumption?

[SuperQ @ Feb 10th 2009 2:29AM]

The problem with the electric bill is that it's cumulative for a month most of the time. It's a single number for the quantity you use. If you increase the sampling resolution, and start to make smarter reporting devices you can separate out the pieces of the puzzle that is "where does all my power go?" It's easy to do with gasoline, you know where you're driving. It's harder to do with electricity because it can just vanish into not-always-on devices like your fridge. I put a watts-up monitoring device on my fridge for a month. It turns out that 15% of my average 350kWh electric bill is my fridge. More stuff around needs report individual usage like networks monitor packets being passed over network switches via SNMP, or even better active reporting like netflows.

[Paul @ Feb 9th 2009 11:13PM]

why don't we just let Google just go all the way, and put rfid chips in our bodies. Maybe we will pollute less.

[Evan @ Feb 10th 2009 6:41AM]

They're offering a service...

[a ham sandwich @ Feb 9th 2009 11:13PM]

thats a big google logo

[John Hughes @ Feb 9th 2009 11:15PM]

Google: "To Serve Man"

[Jake Tobak @ Feb 9th 2009 11:17PM]

You could use one of these:
http://www.engadget.com/2009/01/19/student-charts-electrical-usage-in-real-time-much-to-big-brothe/

[decapitor @ Feb 9th 2009 11:22PM]

Seems like smart things like this are what should be subsidized by our government. Giving people the ability to easily monitor their power usage is a great way to get people thinking about conserving energy and acting on it. Millions of people cutting a few dollars off their electricity bills each month adds up to big savings and big energy efficiency statistics. Something like a bunch of cheap kill-a-watts and a nice GUI from google and you've got a nice little system.

[Joshua Walters @ Feb 9th 2009 11:24PM]

Ah yes, President Obama's hint that companies that help consumers save energy will be given tax cuts.

I honestly think Google would still be doing something like this, but Im sure the added incentive doesnt hurt.

[brian @ Feb 9th 2009 11:29PM]

why do people always think big brother is collecting information about them? that type of paranoia is really weird. just realize nobody gives a fuc% about you or what you do, and you'll be one step closer to acting like a normal person. and don't reply talking about how i don't realize my rights are being taken away. thats even more rediculous. i think this is a great idea. now every time my bill goes up with a hidden rate increase, i will be able to log on and see if everyone elses did the same, or if i just did something stupid to drive my bill up like leave the cover off the hot tub for a week.

[Jake Tobak @ Feb 9th 2009 11:39PM]

That paranoia is gonna be why I'm alive and you're a zombie during the zombie apocalypse the republicans are planning to scare people into voting for them in 4 years.

[eggothewaffle @ Feb 10th 2009 12:05AM]

It's true! I saw it in Zeitgeist!

[Str1ker @ Feb 10th 2009 12:08AM]

Your rights are being taken away!

[Baseer @ Feb 10th 2009 2:28AM]

THANK YOU!!!!!

[Hardcore @ Feb 10th 2009 8:35PM]

Obviously you've never heard of marketing. There are whole divisions in companies whose sole function is to collect more information about you. http://www.aclu.org/pizza/index.html?orgid=EA071904&MX=1414&H=1

[beltane @ Feb 9th 2009 11:36PM]

Yes Google please let me tell you yet more about myself Please monitor my electrical consumption and tell Daddy Obama too.

[EMaster @ Feb 9th 2009 11:36PM]

Awesome! now ppl can see how much hydro they use when they're growing dope!

[iansilv @ Feb 10th 2009 12:46AM]

yes- thank you! Thank was my concern! Thought I was the only one...

[meelmemeer @ Feb 9th 2009 11:46PM]

http:///www.google.org/powermeter is up and running

[Adam K @ Feb 9th 2009 11:45PM]

How about Google becomes more open itself? http://harpers.org/media/slideshow/annot/2008-03/index.html

[SuperQ @ Feb 10th 2009 2:34AM]

http://www.google.com/corporate/green/datacenters/measuring.html

Done

[Swimatm @ Feb 10th 2009 12:21AM]

Uhhhhh, Google is in Mountain View.
Not Menlo Park.

[Billy @ Feb 10th 2009 12:52AM]

I don't think the Google logo is quite big enough in this story. Next time, could you find a bigger one, please?

[lens42 @ Feb 10th 2009 1:41AM]

This is great idea. It will do more to cut energy use than all the carbon credit BS. People react when the numbers are right in front of their face.

For cars, the govt should mandate that all vehicles have an always-on mileage indicator that works like a taxi meter. When you fill up it should RF-link what you just spent for gas, and then have a $ meter on the dash that increments while you're driving. When a Chevy Suburban driver sees in real time that gunning it off the light just cost $0.50, maybe behavior will change.

[DRoseDARs @ Feb 10th 2009 2:54AM]

From the Demo Project page:
" "I don't own a toaster and because I live by myself, I've always used my standard electric oven to toast bread. After seeing the power spikes from my sunday breakfasts, I did a little research on the power required to toast bread using a toaster compared to an electric oven and found that toasting bread in an oven uses 33 times as much energy as a typical toaster! With this savings, I realized that I would save money (not to mention time) by buying a toaster."
Don, Software Engineer "

o_O

Are you effing kidding me? This guy didn't know running an electric oven JUST TO TOAST BREAD uses more electricity (like, a lot more) than just using a damn toaster? Isn't that a bit like driving your car (full electric, let's say) on a clear sunny day from your front door to the mail box when you could just, you know, walk?

[Joe Finan @ Feb 10th 2009 4:33AM]

Why does the google page talk about 'her' all the time? Is this just for women?

[Mobius_1 @ Feb 10th 2009 5:45AM]

Google are everywhere collecting everything about everyone... I'm feeling a bit paranoid now.

[Grayster123 @ Feb 10th 2009 7:01AM]

Maybe once we all submit our energy use to Google, and then reduce it by the tiniest amount. Google can offset this against the study that said every Google search used as much electricty as boiling a kettle, thus making them carbon neutral!

Has anyone read the qutoes on the sites 'demo project' page? I'm a bit worried that someone needed to look at their power consumption to then work out they had left their oven on. And do we really need a software package to remind us we have left our lights on, surely using the computer to check that a light may be left on therefore negates any energy saving.

[sk @ Feb 10th 2009 7:22AM]

Does Google really think Electricity companies sign up for this. After all they are interested to sell electricity and make money and not to save power. Maybe in some states where there are blackouts which is of course a reason to cut down on usage. But most states have plenty of capacity and they want to sell that to cover infrastructure and operating cost.

[Capt. Planet @ Feb 10th 2009 11:05AM]

It costs utilities more money to put in infrastructure to boost capacity than to have people conserve.

[plushog @ Feb 10th 2009 1:29PM]

You need to think a little more big picture.

If the utility companies install smart meters, they can charge different rates depending on demand and time of day. Right now it's just a total of what you use in one or two months, a smart meter means "we see you used x kwh during peak load and we will charge you xx more for those kwh then what you used at 6am".

Another issue is if you currently own an expensive solar array and have net meetering set up with the utility co. Usually you receive no bill or a very cheap one as you offset what you consume with what the array produces. Unless they modify your net meetering agreement to where during high demad periods your solar array earns xx more credit vs during times of low demand you will end up with an expensive bill. After spending 6 figures on a solar array, people will go crazy if they get screwed and have to start paying a bill again.

[Keith @ Feb 10th 2009 8:30AM]

Any one notice it says her


Google PowerMeter, now in prototype, 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.

Are we all girls - anyone who signs up access to her home electricity consumption

[AlternateWay @ Feb 10th 2009 9:24AM]

Not to keen on letting Google watch how much electricity you use? Try T.E.D. (The Energy Detective). This digital meter plugs into an outlet in your house and shows you real-time how much electricity you are using even calculating how much that usage will cost you. Two pickup coils are mounted in your breaker box to measure your usage. It can even send your usage data to your PC to log.

[THizzle7XU @ Feb 10th 2009 8:57AM]

That guy in the video said he SAVED $3000 in a year? Holy crap, if that's his savings, what is his actual bill? Did he have every light on in his house while running his AC 24/7? I live in an all electric home and I don't even near $2000 in a single year.

[mirov @ Feb 10th 2009 9:57AM]

Electricity is pretty expensive in California, and if you have a large house and a family it is very common for you to have to pay nonlinear usage penalties. The incremental cost per Watt is very high, but so is the incentive to save power. That was precisely the motivation to closely monitor my power and to take actions to reduce my consumption. Calculating the savings is actually a bit involved, but the straight forward "what's the difference between the last year and each of the prior two years" nets out to significantly more than $3000 annually.
Wouldn't that motivate you also ?

[joey @ Feb 10th 2009 9:21AM]

WOW. Google is.... absolutely everywhere. Kinda freaky