http://www.influxinsights.com/blog/ 2009-01-07T20:45:44Z http://www.influxinsights.com/blog/article/2027/a-nike-plus-for-electricity.html Many of us have been struggling to find the ultimate example of brand utility, something that goes beyond the cliche that Nike Plus has become, but now I think I have found it.<br><br>Created by an enterprising design company in the UK, <a target="_blank" href="http://www.diykyoto.com/wattson/about">Wattson and Holmes</a> (the Brits are good with naming puns) are an elegant solution to measuring your home's energy consumption.<br><br>Wattson is the sensor unit and Holmes is the software that allows you to see snazzy graphs and data.<br><br><a target="_blank" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/edcotton/2883192400/" title="Wattson Energy Measurement Sensor by ed100, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3002/2883192400_34df27d70d.jpg" width="&lt;br"><br></a><a target="_blank" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/edcotton/2883192278/" title="Holmes- Software for Tracking Energy Consumption by ed100, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3266/2883192278_5dc72ee36e.jpg" alt="Holmes- Software for Tracking Energy Consumption" height="384" width="500"></a><br>Utility companies have some of the worst brand reputations in the world, they get no respect because people feel they are being gouged, a tool like this could help repair their broken reputations and image. <br><br>The beauty of the device is that it makes people personally accountable for their consumption and gives them data in an easy to use and understandable format. <br><br>We need more tools like this to show people how their individual actions can make a difference.<br><br>All Wattson and Holmes now need to do is to hook themselves up to a networked community so the cumulative impact of users energy savings can be measured.<br><br><br>Posted by Ed Cotton Influx Insights 2008-09-23T15:30:36Z