Smart plug to cut power use

Scientists are working on an electric plug design that can monitor the amount of energy being used by the appliance connected to it.

As more electrical goods and gadgets arrive in our homes, Dr John Woods and Steve Fitz have been awarded funding to create the plug that will show consumers how much each appliance is costing them to use.

The system can detail individual power use and can be connected to a central, controlling system in the home. Inside each smart plug will be a power meter, a micro controller and a wireless transceiver that will relay information to the central point.

“People will be able to know how much power every single device uses. You will be able to see if a machine, such as a fridge, has failed, or if something has been left on, that should not have been. It empowers the individual homeowner to make a real carbon difference,” Woods said.

The prototype plugs will be made by British company Circad and should be ready by mid-2008. The plugs will then be tested in the university’s apartment, iSpace, where high-tech creations can be trialled in a home situation.