Step Up HVAC Energy Efficiency With Google PowerMeter
Google announced it is Beta testing Google PowerMeter, a tool for iGoogle users that will allow them to monitor their home's energy consumption daily, for free. Consumers can monitor power usage, including heating and air conditioning, then make decisions about which appliances are consuming more energy than they desire. This could positively influence both operational and buying decisions for homeowners, once they understand when the best time is to run certain appliances or when some items need to be replaced.
Google has been testing Google PowerMeter with their own employees. Here's what one had to say about the experience:
"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
To utilize the Google PowerMeter service, the home must be equipped with a
smart meter (the current U.S. Economic Stimulus plan happens to include investments for up to 40 million smart meters in U.S. homes).
Consumers may find that their heating and air conditioning equipment can consume up to 50% of their home's energy. You can determine your use with our easy
Energy Savings Calculator. Of course, the smart consumer can just
give us a call and we'll be happy to explain heating and cooling efficiency to you for free, as well as illustrate the amount of money you can save even today on your household utility bills with a new high-efficiency
HVAC system.