Aquila Online

DIY Power Meter

// June 25th, 2008 // Tech // 12,916 views

Now this is nifty.

The EnerJar is an easy-to-build device that measures the power draw of electrical appliances. The EnerJar was the winner of the Greener Gadgets design competition.

Sitting between any wall outlet and the appliance (think blowdryer versus laptop), the EnerJar helps users gain an understanding of power draw, investing them in the knowlege, and leading them to reduce their electricity use. The auto-ranging capability of the EnerJar accurately measures power with better than one watt precision.

The design is still being optimised, but preliminary schematics and source code can be found on the site.

Now we all need to go make ourselves these meters to check on our daily energy consumption. Will this result in less frequent Eskom blackouts?