‘Wattson’ – as in ‘What’s on?’ – is an energy-monitoring device designed by London-based design company, DIY Kyoto.

‘Wattson’ (a portable wireless unit), and ‘Holmes’ (companion software) work in unison to monitor and display household energy use and can help users save up to 25% on their energy costs.

How it works is quite simple: ‘Wattson’ communicates with a sensor clip that is attached to the main’s electricity cables. Energy use is then transmitted back to the unit, where it is stored and displayed in either watts or dollars.

The stored information is viewed by plugging ‘Wattson’ into a computer via a USB port, where the ‘Holmes’ software displays charts and graphs of the information. The system allows you to see how much you’re spending on electricity, when you use it most, and how to reduce what you use.

Lights and a ’glowing’ effect are visual indicators of the device. Comparisons with colour are made to indicate energy use – blue glow indicates low-level energy use, while red glow indicates high-level energy use.

‘Wattson’ is designed for disassembly, being constructed without the use of adhesives, and is packaged using lightweight recycled card, further emphasising its design-for-environment considerations.

‘Wattson’ will be made available in Australia through neco.com.au, in November 2008 and is expected to retail between $249 and $299.

diykyoto.com