For people eager to know how they’re using electricity — and how to waste less energy — technology can help.
Colin Gibbs is with Sense. The company sells whole-home energy monitors.
The devices measure electricity flow in a home and can determine which appliances and devices are running, based on their electrical signals.
Residents can view the data on a mobile app.
“And that gives customers a real-time view of everything that’s going on in their home — so, specifically, which appliance is on, how much energy it’s consuming,” Gibbs says.
The system also provides information about how much carbon pollution that energy use is generating.
At times of peak demand, a regional grid may rely more heavily on dirty sources of backup power.
“We have a real-time carbon view of the carbon intensity of the grid at that specific point in time,” Gibbs says.
So the data can help people schedule activities — like charging their EV or running the dishwasher — for times when the power mix is cleanest.
Sense sells a consumer product that can be installed in a home’s electrical panel.
And it’s partnering with utilities to integrate the technology into electric meters, which Gibbs hopes will allow more people to dive into the data about their electricity use and start saving energy.
Reporting credit: Sarah Kennedy / ChavoBart Digital Media