With so much technology out there, from smart bike locks to jackets that can update your Facebook status, it's about time a product really makes your life better. Vancouver-based Energy Aware has a Kickstarter campaign for Neurio, their gadget that connects to your breaker box and monitors the energy your home uses. This small little box will not only save you money on your electricity bills, it connects you to your home in a way you've never experienced before.
This home intelligence tech uses a WiFi power sensor and a cloud service "with some smart pattern detection algorithms" to keep track of electricity used in your house. Through the accompanying app Wattson, Neurio will tell you how much power you're using and how you're using it, so you can recognize nasty habits. If you often forget to turn things off, the device is smart enough to let you know. Neurio will even work with solar panels, allowing you to monitor what those generate.
So, how does it work exactly? There are four major components to Neurio: Sensor, Cloud, Wattson, and Trigger. The Sensor is the device that gets installed in your breaker panel, using Current Transformers to measure the energy used. The Cloud (which is included free-of-charge for the Kickstarter backers) is the brains behind the device by processing the data, observing events in the house and taking appropriate action (like sending you a text when you've forgotten to turn the stove off).
Wattson is an app that helps you cut down on your electricity bill by breaking the data down by appliance, letting you know just how much standing in front of the open refrigerator costs you. You can even see your power consumption in real time by walking around your home while turning things on and off, watching the grid on the app react. Trigger is an optional open-source platform for coders wanting to take Neurio to the next level. It comes with pattern matching abilities, you can set it to notify you when your clothes are done washing, let you know what the garage door opens, or to turn something on as a response when you perform a certain action (like telling it to turn the patio lights on when you start up the hot tub).
The Kickstarter campaign was wildly successful — no shocker there — and to date has raised $173,722 from a goal of only $95k. That means that you can back it now, already knowing that the project has reached full funding and the company will be shipping them June 2014. $129 will get you the Neurio Home Package, which comes with everything you need. If you need the Solar Package, that will cost you $189.
