Next week a St. John’s, Newfoundland-based company called Blue Line Innovations will be installing one of their PowerCost Monitors in my house. The product is actually two devices: one attaches to the electromechanical utility meter on the outside of my house, and the other is a display unit I can mount in my kitchen. The first device reads the information on my outside meter and wirelessly transmits it to the kitchen display, which can show me in real time how much electricity I’m using and what that translates into in dollars and cents. Both units can be self-installed with little effort, the company says. I’m apparently going to be the first person outside of Blue Line and in Ontario to test out the company’s next-generation unit.

Studies suggest when people have this real-time information they are more aware of their energy usage patterns and are more likely to engage in conservation efforts. It’s kind of like how some hybrid vehicles let you know how efficiently you’re driving so that you can constantly try to improve your car’s mileage. Estimates of savings range from 10 to 20 per cent. I’m very curious to see how the Blue Line unit will change energy use habits in my household. I’ll report back in a month or two and let everybody know, and I’ll provide more information on how these simple displays can go a long way toward conservation without the need for fancy smart meters.

Stay tuned.

It’s nice to see a Canadian cleantech company attracting some attention across the Atlantic. Victoria, B.C.-based Carmanah Technologies has made it into the Scottish press for its part in installing more than 100 solar-powered, LED-lit bus shelters on Edinburgh streets. This is nothing new in Canada, where Carmanah’s bus shelters can be seen throughout major cities, including Toronto and Vancouver. In the United States its solar shelter products can be found in Chicago and Seattle, among other locations. But in late September the company announced its largest deal to date outside of North America, with a contract to provide at least 1,200 solar-LED bus stops in London and surrounding areas. 

Business has been so good lately that the company has leased a 25,000 square-foot warehouse in Victoria to accommodate its growing R&D, assembly lines and shipping operations.