For luxury-loving eco-philes, the latest must-have green gadget is the Wattson. Created by UK design firm DIYKyoto, the Wattson measures at home electricity use and promises to save between five to twenty percent on a household’s annual electricity bills. The Wattson itself is a small, wireless device that works by syncing with computer software through the USB port. Appropriately, the Wattson is packaged with recycled material and is created from recyclable materials that have little impact on the environment once the unit is no longer used.
The Wattson software tracks energy data and transmits your own household’s usage to other Wattson users online so you can compare energy usage to other greenies in your area. Who’s down for a game of “out-green” the neighbors? Rather gives a new green slant on the term “keeping up with the Joneses.” Part of what makes the Wattson so popular is its usability. Tracking your household’s energy consumption is easy with Wattson’s color changing system. The unit emits a constant glow that changes colors depending on your current energy use. A blue glow is for low energy use, red for high energy use and purple for average.
Going green comes with a price – $185 for the sleek little device, with a luxury limited edition version that goes for $647. Depending on your home’s annual energy usage, however, it could potentially pay for itself in the first year alone – a sweet benefit to having the latest eco-gadget.
