Published in this month's Environmental Design Update:

According to a recent Canadian pilot study, a simple, easy-to-install $135 device that reduces residential consumption by 6.5% already exists: it's a humble whole-house electricity monitor with an indoor display.

The PowerCost monitor by Blue Line Innovations was used in this Canadian study to prove that homeowners able to see how many kilowatts their home is using are more inclined to turn off lights and electronics when not in use.  (TreeHugger review)

The PowerCost monitor is just one of many new energy monitoring tools coming to the market.  Other devices include:

	Energy Orb  (Treehugger review)  Provides energy cost information in the form of a glowing colored orb to inform homeowners when electric rates are high, and usage should be turned down
	The Energy Detective  A real-time energy monitor with LCD display that can scroll 12 different information outputs including electric cost, carbon emissions, and monthly savings
	EM-2500 Whole House Monitor  (TreeHugger review) A simple monitoring device that can predict your next utility bill, giving you control over how much you will spend
	Home Joule (Treehugger Review) kicks up energy monitoring a notch by displaying real-time information about current electric rates, weather, and local utility information integrated with your home energy consumption.  Color-coded displays show when electric rates are low and high.

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