"Smart Meters" To Watch Over In-Home Energy Usage, Cull Waste

You might think that President Obama's stimulus package was worthoverlooking for tech enthusiasts, but really, there are more than a fewreasons to take notice. Obama clearly understands the power of the Web,and he clearly understands that harnessing technology is a great way tobetter a country. We've already heard about his plans to roll outbroadband to more rural areas, and now we're hearing more about a $3.4billion decision to upgrading our energy grid and make individualsthink longer and harder about the power they consume.

The plan, which was rolled out this week, sets aside a rather largechunk of cash (that'll be matched and then some by private companies)to start building a "smart" electric grid. The purpose? To trimelectric bills, reduce blackouts and carry new energy produced by solarand win plants. A huge solar plant has opened this week in Florida, andmore are said to be on the way in Nevada and California.

But honestly, none of that is the most interesting. What's wild is the40 million (at least, that's the goal) smart meters that'll beinstalled in homes across America. What these will do is give users avisual representation of how much energy they are consuming, which willhopefully allow them to be more mindful of their waste and cut downwhen possible. Also, these meters will be programmable, making it easyto trim usage during peak times, cut things off at a certain time andfire things up at a certain time.


Of course, it's up for debate whether or not this is a smart use ofgovernment funds, but it's tough to deny the cool factor. Do you seeyourself changing your energy habits with a visual meter on the wall?Or will you train yourself to ignore it and carry on?