The Wattcher is a "design object" that the manufacturers say "displays your home's total electricity consumption in a beautiful and meaningful way. It gives you insight into your energy behaviour and helps you save energy".
The Wattcher consists of a sensor, a sending unit and a display. The sensor can be placed on any electricity meter (analog meters with a turning wheel, digital meters with LED pulse, and smart meters). The sensor is connected to the sending unit. Both are placed in the meter closet. The sending unit sends a radio signal to the display unit, which can be placed in any (euro standard) electricity socket.
The Wattcher comes with Wattcher-online, an on-line saving program that provides additional help and insights into energy saving (currently only in Dutch). With your personal Wattcher-online webpage you can keep track of your energy use and compare it with others.
The display unit is where you read how much energy you are consuming at any given time. Turn on any electrical appliance, and watch those watts skyrocket! The unit itself can be plugged in guilt-free, as it uses less than 1 watt and costs under EUR 100.
Designer Marcel Wanders created the Wattcher to be the "ticking heart of the home". He says of the design: "It is very clean and has urgency in pointing out your energy consumption. The Wattcher is more than just a product; it is a strategy that stimulates awareness."
So far his device has won a Dutch Design Award: the ICT~Environment Award.
