At the recent Intel Developer Forum in Beijing, held on April 14, 2010, Intel demonstrated the use of a pocket-sized device that measures the power usage of home gadgets, appliances and other electronics. The easy-to-use device plugs into any single socket in the home and wirelessly relays information to a partner touch screen display device, which is the about the size of a large book and is powered by an Intel Atom processor and runs on the MeeGo operating system.

The system helps homeowners determine and monitor which electronics are being turned on and off, in order to help them come up with a plan to cut energy usage and save on electricity bills. Logs are created that record which appliances are being used at what time of day. Users can use this information to avoid using high energy consuming appliances during peak hours, or to determine if any appliances are being left on accidentally.

A sensor in the transmitter device detects which appliances are being turned on or off by watching for their unique electricity usage patterns. The display device will receive this information and also be able to control the thermostat and turn certain appliances on and off using custom settings.

According to Mary Murphy-Hoye, an Intel engineer who had a similar sensor system set up in her home, the system can help users reduce their energy consumption by 15 to 30 percent.

Though Intel’s energy monitoring system is just a prototype, users may eventually be able to use Intel’s AppUp Store, which the company created for Intel Atom devices, to download new applications for the system.

While its efforts can be applauded, one has to wonder if Intel has ulterior motives in creating an entire bulky (and expensive looking) display unit instead of allowing the transmitter to be used with standard PCs. Simple processing capabilities and a small memory card could avoid having to keep the PC on all day.

View a previously written post by Mouli Cohen about Technology.