First there were the handy types, devising ways to keep an eye on their electricity usage. But not all of us have the ability, or the inclination to get this involved with our electricity meters. For those who do, more less power to you.

Then came the Plug-In Mains Power & Energy Monitor. Fine if you just want to know how much electricity a couple of your appliances are using. But if you want to audit the electricity use in your entire home, it would involve having quite a few of these, and running about the place with your calculator, adding up your kilowatt-hours. Possible, but not probable.

(Sigh) The Electrisave. It came along in all its wireless glory and put an end to the hard work involved in checking your energy use. It only takes 5 minutes to install, and you can monitor your entire house with just one glance. And then spend your time rushing around switching things off. Pretty satisfying? You may think so. But some of us are blessed with a need for beauty in all functional objects (I’m thinking my architect husband here), and while it’s functional, clever and ever so convenient, the Electrisave is not beautiful.

And so, on to the Wattson. Aaah! Fantastically stylish and hailed by some as a classic design piece, the Wattson keeps an eye on your electricity use and provides some funky mood lighting while it’s at it. It’s available to pre-order now at LOVE ECO. There is no more beautiful way to work to reduce your consumption and lighten your carbon footprint. Not yet!

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