Google is testing a software tool that will help consumers measure their home electricity use.
It says the
Google PowerMeter
will show consumers their home energy information in near real-time on their computer.
It's now being
tested
internally while the company works with utilities and device manufacturers to roll out pilot programs, and will progressively be made available, the company said.
The Google
blog
notes that "it will take the combined efforts of federal and state governments, utilities, device manufacturers, and software engineers to empower consumers to use electricity more wisely by giving them access to energy information."
"Most people don't know how much electricity their appliances use, where in the house they are wasting electricity, or how much the bill might go up during different seasons. But in a world where everyone had a detailed understanding of their home energy use, we could find all sorts of ways to save energy and lower electricity bills."
Google says
studies show
that access to home energy information results in monthly savings of 5-15% on power bills. It points out that if half of America's households cut energy use by 10%, it would be the equivalent of taking eight million cars off the road.