Wattcher is a product that monitors domestic electricity use, designed by Marcel Wanders for Dutch company Innovaders.
The device plugs into a standard electrical socket and displays electrical consumption, encouraging users to reduce their energy use.
Here's more information from Marcel Wanders studio:
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On the 28st of March the mayor of Amsterdam, Job Cohen, received the first Wattcher launched by Innovaders and designed by Marcel Wanders studio. The Wattcher is a product that, once plugged in, immediately displays the electricity consumption in your home allowing you to monitor and curb your energy use.
Marcel Wanders designed the Wattcher as the ticking heart of the home. “The design is very clean and has urgency in pointing out your energy consumption. Wattcher is more than just a product; it is a strategy that stimulates awareness.”
The “Battle of Watt’ kicked off this week; numerous Wattchers are being used in the “Battle of Watt” as an initative from Eneco, a Dutch energy supplier. In schools and student’s homes throughout the Netherlands, participants are encouraged to save energy, the aim of the contest. Those that have consumed the least amount of energy win the competition.
www.strijdomwatt.nl
Dear Marcel Wanders,
Can I have one of that.Seriously.
We have the same voltage & Plug systems here in India.
It would be really useful in these tough times.
Can save some money by monitoring the power usage.
Thanks
Rajeev
can’t help but seeing the contradiction on plugging one more useless device using power to show you are using power???
I wonder how it detects power usage of the whole building from just one socket.
I wanna buy one of these.
Anybody knows how much it costs??????????????
not enought overdecoration …it’s a Fukazawa …
This has been already been developed by Jack Godfrey Wood which has been awarded with a Red Dot ‘Best of the Best’ Award in 2006.
http://www.jackgodfreywood.co.uk/Plug.htm
I don’t really understand either how it works. Do you have to plug one in on each circuit in your house? I don’t see how this works for the entire house.
Nice thing though. I can see how mr Wanders spends 2 minutes doodling something on a piece of napkin that looks remotely like this, and then the anonymous workers in his studio have to flesh it out and fix all the problems and put his name on it. Like it always is.
The site is in Dutch but it boils down to this;
http://www.wattcher.nl
costs 129 euro for consumers (currently on pre-order)
Power usage is measured by a device at your main power entrance either by counting a blinking LED or counting revolutions of the main p0wer meter (the 2 main methods powermeters work in The Netherlands). Data is then wirelessly send to the device shown above. The base unit uses 2 AA batteries.
all looks cool -where to buy this from -1 or 100
please send me info
Nice thing bought one but needs a lot of batteries 2AA every few months
Please cut out the middle man and just send the data to my iPhone.