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Keeping track of the energy we use in our homes has always been a challenge, even for the most organised amongst us.  Previously we’ve had to rely on the vague readouts of our aggregate electric meter alone, but things have changed thanks to the forward and lateral-thinking of one man.

A 29 year old assistant professor of computer science and engineering and electrical engineering at the University of Washington in Seattle, Shwetak Patel, was named one of 2011’s MacArthur Fellows for his role in developing a network of sensors that provide real-time information on the power usage of individual household appliances.

Patel received the accolade, sometimes known as a ‘Genius Award’ and which includes a no-strings-attached prize of $500,000, from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation for building a new class of low-cost and easy-to-deploy sensing system for the home.

It’s called Infrastructure Mediated Sensing, and it leverages existing utility infrastructures in a home to support whole-house sensing. This enables residents to track their energy usage right down to the level of individual appliances and fixtures, and it requires only a few small sensors to be connected wirelessly around the home.

In turn, they’re controlled by a computer programme that analyzes patterns of activity and the signature ‘noise’ that each appliance creates. The sensors allow users to measure and separate their energy consumption according to each appliance and also to detect inefficiencies more effectively.

According to Patel the technology works on exactly the same basis as a credit card or telephone bill, enabling homeowners to keep constant track of their energy use on an appliance-by-appliance basis. The system is very simple to install and completely user-friendly, needing only be plugged or screwed into an outlet in order to generate information for the entire household.

It is hoped that in the future, utility companies will be able to use the same technology to improve their services. “We have a way to feed that information back to Whirlpool or General Electric and say here is how often your appliance is in the duty cycle,” explained Patel. “That can really help to design the system in a different way to make it more efficient and more reliable.”

Here’s hoping that Patel’s incredible system crosses the Atlantic pretty soon, to help us save even more money than ever before!