Re: Digital Tools Help Users Save Energy, Study Finds

["Robert Green" <ROBERT_GREEN1963@xxxxxxxxx>]

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/25/science/25tier.html?ref=science

<<By JOHN TIERNEY
Published: March 25, 2008
A study in California showed that when the monthly electric bill listed the
average consumption in the neighborhood, the people in above-average
households significantly decreased their consumption. Meanwhile, the people
with the below-average bills reacted by significantly increasing their
consumption . . .That reaction was avoided when the bill featured a little
drawing along with the numbers: a smiling face on a below-average bill or a
frowning face on an above-average bill. After that simple nudge, the heavy
users made even bigger cuts in consumption, while the light users remained
frugal . . . A glowing ball called the Ambient Orb,

http://www.thinkgeek.com/gadgets/electronic/5da2/

programmed to change colors as the price of electricity increases at peak
periods, has been given to some utility customers in California, who
promptly reduced their usage by 40 percent when the ball glowed red in peak
periods . . . Another gadget, the Wattson,

http://www.smartplanet.com/reviews/tech/10000444/review/diy-kyoto-wattson-01
.htm

which changes colors depending upon how much electricity a house is using,
collects data that can be displayed on a Web site. >>

A followup on a previous post - URLs provided by me from Google - no
affiliation . . .

--
Bobby G.