tomharrisonjr

4 ms·

1.
by tomharrisonjr 10y ago
We're seeing queries using Athena against S3 fail in us-east-1
2.
by tomharrisonjr 16y ago
There's one alternative now at $179, I think (Envi). It's a terribly limited product, and requires a connection inside the breaker panel. Their newly release connection (to Google PowerMeter) seems "gangly" and is still in early release.
3.
by tomharrisonjr 16y ago
I think you're right that $49 is a sweet spot in the market. Our contacts at Google (the PowerMeter folks) say this is what they are hearing. Yet meanwhile, everyone making remotely interesting products is starting at 5x that price, and a
4.
by tomharrisonjr 17y ago
I guess my point on heat was that a thing that I think needs to be done with all of these monitors is to add other kinds of household energy uses (like nat gas, oil) to the electrical data already being captured. Natural gas is usually deli
5.
by tomharrisonjr 17y ago
I agree with gridspy, and would add that the WattVision solution is considerably simpler than others: fewer wires, fewer connections, fewer components than (for example) the TED 5000, which I also have.
6.
by tomharrisonjr 17y ago
I had found some reasonably scientific research done a while back in a pilot program showing 15% reduction by otherwise passive people. I can't find the study now, so I could be full of it :-) Actually, shifting to off-peak is a good outco
7.
by tomharrisonjr 17y ago
Well, I am the guy that lives at the author's house. We are saving over $100/month as a result of the reductions we have made. I agree with your general position, but there's at least a niche market out there, and growing rather fast, act
8.
by tomharrisonjr 17y ago
A digital meter doesn't have a spinning dial, it reads current a different way. It is able to transmit its readings in several forms, bnoth through a display on the front, but mainly they were designed to allow remote meter reading by the
9.
by tomharrisonjr 17y ago
The BlueLine PowerCost monitor (same as the Black and Decker version) both have sensors that, in addition to reading digital meters, can read the black line on the analog meters. There's no reason that WattVision couldn't do exactly the sa
10.
by tomharrisonjr 17y ago
While I too have doubts about WattVision's monthly subscription model, I can assure you that an energy monitor has surprised most of the people I know who also have them -- they become ingrained into your life.
11.
by tomharrisonjr 17y ago
That's what I thought too. I am very energy conscious. But I have been monitoring electricity for several years now, and I am still finding things that I can change. Often I find that my kids have left on the electric heat in the basemen
12.
by tomharrisonjr 17y ago
I think the folks at WattVision would concur completely. It's kind of crazy, and the idea of Smart Meters would eliminate the light sensor and wire part of the deal. I would guess that WattVision and the others in this growing market are
13.
by tomharrisonjr 17y ago
I think the device is called "Alert Me", or perhaps they are using The Owl or the CurrentCost.
14.
by tomharrisonjr 17y ago
This is a really good question. To be sure, there's a selection bias going on here, which I think explains why I have been able to reduce our household consumption by more than 50%, where in controlled studies (e.g. by utilities that have
15.
by tomharrisonjr 17y ago
I have tested the currentcost and it's a different thing in some ways -- WattVision has the distinct advantage of not requiring you to open the electrical box, for one, but also doesn't have a display (yet). CurrentCost is all about the mo
16.
by tomharrisonjr 17y ago
I got the same graph on my bill. It was helpful. But when I turn on a light, the graph updates in a few seconds. It's brilliant (but then, well, I have a crush on it, according to energycircle.com)