Smart Meters

In a recent forum event at Notre Dame (video available here) a panel composed of Notre Dame faculty discussed the impact of technology on the common good. A recurring theme was the green movement and the pushes to monitor energy consumption better. One of the panelists ,the Dean of Engineering Peter Kilpatrick, described his experience with learning more about his personal energy consumption. He explained that he had never been much interested in his gas mileage. But once he got a car that had a display showing his current mpg, he found he kept track and it interested him. Similarly he moved into a home with a smart meter and found he know keeps track of how much energy he uses at home.

I was intrigued by the idea that the mere presence of information (not necessarily even requested or desired) could lead people to change their behavior. This also s

eems like an area where a helpful user interface could really help. Compare the difference between these two new sma

rt meters. Both could contain the same info, but the display helps greatly.