Wattson's wireless electricity monitor now in Singapore

by Juniper Foo | 4 December 2008 4:30pm SGT

Here's a conundrum that Singapore households, even those in other countries, are well familiar with: Rising utility bills and the need to power down costs. So here's the island state's only electricity company raising energy costs by 21 percent, based as they say on rising oil prices. Now with its raison d'etre no longer valid, it says it will reduce tariffs in the next quarter by about 25 percent.

Still, times are bad. Jobs are insecure. Frugal is now the new catchword. So how many ways can you say frugal, as in scrimping, conserving, economizing and penny-pinching? Since Singaporeans love their aircon and find it a hardship to spend family time in social chitchat rather than watching TV in various rooms and playing console games, there's nothing like hard figures to have them feel the pinch more keenly.

Enter the National Environment Agency (NEA), which recently threw the switch on a pilot tracking device to help consumers monitor their energy usage in the house. But for those looking for a more elegant, wireless option that doesn't require any installation, Green Koncepts, an eco-friendly solutions provider in Singapore, has brought in the Wattson in a sole distribution within Southeast Asia.

At S$329, it's a little pricier than the S$200 ETrack, but you do get what you pay for. Designed by the UK team of DIY Kyoto, this looks nothing like a power usage monitor with its designer looks and large LED display. Here's the bit we love--the device has a palette of three different mood lights to display the energy usage level at a glance, from blue (low usage) to purple (moderate), to red (high).

There are two parts to the Wattson: A sensor that lives near the home's electricity supply, and the wireless handheld display that can be taken anywhere in the home. To use, the bundled sensor clip is attached to either of the mains electricity cables leading from your home's meter box to your fuse box. This is then attached to a transmitter which takes four AA batteries (not AAA as we mentioned earlier).

Wattson works in tandem with Holmes, a PC software which will ferret through the energy your home is using, show you usage in graphs and charts, and help you figure out ways to save electricity. There's even an online community to swap energy-saving hints and tips.

So the bottom line? Wattson claims to be able to help you save up to 25 percent of your yearly power bills; though we reckon much of this will also depend on how proactive you are. Still, it's a good step forward to becoming more energy thrifty. More importantly, this little gizmo does what it preaches, using an eco-friendly 5 watts on average.

If your New Year resolution is to go from sup to sip, check out the Wattson, but only if you're willing to cough up the initial investment. Green Koncepts says it will deliver the device to your doorstep in two working days within Singapore.

Wattson's wireless electricity monitor now in Singapore

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