One of the biggest barriers to greater energy efficiency is the lack of information that would help consumers make better decisions. Each home gets a monthly bill from the utility with an aggregate summary of use but no breakdown of where and when that energy was spent. Obviously things that aren’t measured are hard to control. An information infrastructure is needed in order to collect and display granular data that will allow individuals to better manage their home’s environmental footprint.

Several gadgets are already competing to provide this energy usage information. Devices such as TED, Cent-a-meter and Onzo clip onto the electrical wires coming into the house to measure the amount of current going through. The information is then transmitted to a display inside the home. A slightly more advanced system, called greenbox, puts the information online making it accessible through a dashboard or via text message or email. The system also allows users to compare their usage with that of their neighbors or others on the network.

Kill-A-Watt is a device that takes a different approach by measuring current going through an individual power plug. The more granular information allows users to see the energy usage of a single appliance like a fridge or dishwasher. The device can even be modified to transmit the data to Twitter.

Although the technology still has a ways to go the benefits of more granular information are clear. Smarter devices will allow customers to make better energy choices. The aggregate data can also be used by utilities to better manage their networks. The next few years will be critical as investments in the information infrastructure made now may help countries reach the ambitious emissions reduction targets that are necessary to limit the impacts of climate change.