"Energy Dashboards Are The Next Major Tool for Energy Efficiency
In a panel on connecting smart buildings to the smart grid, the main focus was on how the end user of electricity can participate in energy efficiency. Andrew Tang, Senior Director, Smart Energy Web at Pacific Gas & Electric stated that we're a short 12 to 24 months away from power meters being a commonplace item on shore shelves that people pick up regularly to install in their homes and monitor their energy consumption.
It is becoming part of the American mindset, but as that mindset becomes more sophisticated, detailed energy dashboards need to take the place of simple power monitors. Seconding this, Google PowerMeter's Michael Terrell said that the number one thing that green builders can do to make their buildings more energy efficient is give the building inhabitants access to their energy consumption data, since studies have shown that just knowing what one's energy consumption is can reduce that consumption by around 15%."