Intel Sensor May Reduce Electric Bill by 1/3

Intel is working on a new sensor that may have the ability to reduce household energy use by one third. The company is even making the bold claim that this technology alone could help to solve the problem of global warming. Whether or not that’s true, the technology is certainly interesting enough to warrant additional attention from household consumers.

The idea behind the new technology is fairly simple. You plug the sensor into an outlet in your home. It wirelessly connects to all of the different appliances and electrical devices that are located throughout the home. It then conveys information to you about the use of those products through your personal computer. By looking at the information, you can make necessary adjustments to reduce household energy waste and lower your energy bill.

For example, let’s say that you plug in your sensor and then you turn on your computer and it reveals the following information:

• Your refrigerator is using more energy than an average refrigerator. You could use this information to make changes to the temperature, placement or nearby insulation of the refrigerator. This would reduce energy waste.


• Fans, heaters or lights are being left on in rooms that are empty. As you look at the icon on your screen and realize how much energy this is wasting, you’ll be reminded to go shut those machines off.


• The hot water heater is turning on when you do the laundry even though you’re washing clothes on cold. This allows you to look into the problems with either appliance and resolve them.

The sensor itself does not lower the amount of electricity that is used in the home. However, it provides you with the information that you need to easily see where you are wasting electricity so that you can make changes. Additionally, it may be possible to link the technology to information on your computer that would allow you to immediately receive tips for lowering energy waste based on the information gathered by the sensor. The sensor is a small device, about the size of a nightlight, which would require only one outlet for use.

Source: http://www.livescience.com/technology/intel-sensor-could-cut-electricity-bill-100417.html