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).
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The unbearable sound box exists. We were already using it at my house 12 years ago in France. The purpose is to save energy and money although it is not quite the same as what you described. The electric company of France called EDF offered a plan coined ”Tempo”. Under that plan, you would pay 3 different price rates for electricity depending on a color scheme that would be announced a day ahead. The idea is that nuclear energy production was adjusted based on stochastic models. When a cold wave hit, they expected to have more demand of electricity. Those who chose Tempo took it on themselves to either pay for electricity at a horrendous price or rely on other sources of energy or simply their needs. It was a win-win plan. The consumer could plan to use appliances when the price was lower than the average rate on the market (Blue was very cheap) and abstain those days where it was red. As for the electricity provider, they were able to save resources by avoiding producing electricity that would go to waste (as everyone knows, nuclear power cannot be stored unless you have a rechargeable battery that in itself is an inefficient transfer). Anyway, if you want to see if the French will do their laundry tomorrow, here is the link ;)
http://www.edf-bleuciel.fr/accueil/mon-quotidien-avec-bleu-ciel-d-edf/option-tempo-141090.html