We often hear about the “next best thing”, which can miraculously lower our energy bills. Smart blinds, advanced building controls, you name it. Shame that very often it is the case that the makers of most of these gadgets are simply selling hot air.
Now, something, which looks quite promising, and might well cost you just a few bucks, is coming to the market very soon. It doesn’t do magic, but it actually tells you how much energy you’re using, and let’s you decide if to put on an extra sweater instead of turning up that old electric heater. It is called Reter and it is a small plastic clip that can be attached to any appliance.
OK, assuming that we have done all there is to ensure that our house is properly insulated, equipped with double glazing, free from air-leaks and damp, all in all, we have ticked all the boxes from the tips list, now it is time to calculate our energy usage. In general, people tend to wait for the “greeting” in the mail box, kindly sent from their energy provider, in order to find out how much energy they actually consumed. But instead of waiting for that surprising number to pop up from the envelope, soon we might be able to monitor how much energy that air-con or old fridge uses before it is a bit too late.
The device that will do the job is called Reter, and it was introduced in the Quirky Blog site a few days ago. It is a small circular clip, that monitors the energy consumption of the device to which it is attached. At the end of the day it send a complete report through a smart-phone app, called Wink. The gadget is available in two forms, it can be either battery or AC-powered.
The best part is, the gadget still has no official price. The makers are now collecting future users’ opinions on how much they would actually pay for it. If you fancy being heard, then go to the Quirkey site , and tell them what you think. I reckon it shouldn’t be too much, but investing in such thing might not be too bad. If not to prove your point to your always-freezing-roommate, then at least so that you could be a bit more aware and do your good to the environment.
Image (c) Quirky
