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The sensors, known as "smart dust motes," are placed around a room or building and transmit continuous information on energy usage to a PC. The information can be used to determine if energy, such as light and heat, are excessive and can be reduced.
Researchers who developed the technology at the University of California Berkeley said it can also show the real running costs of particular devices and machines, such as air conditioners. The technology may ultimately be used to develop "smart" home appliances that know when electricity is cheapest, allowing them to be switched on only at off-peak times.
Berkley's Centre for Information Technology Research in the Interest of Society (CITRIS) believes its latest development could save USD8 billion a year on California's energy costs.
It claims the technology could also be of major benefit to consumers and result in fewer new power plants having to be built.
A. Richard Newton, Dean of the College of Engineering at UCB, said that using wireless technology makes it easy to install the sensors in existing buildings. Newton said the technology uses a software architecture that is reliable and secure enough to build intelligent control systems to control entire houses and office buildings.
Professor Kris Pister, who developed the smart dust sensors, added, "People really have no idea where electric power is actually being burned in their homes or offices."
UCB researchers believe they are very close to putting smart energy technology to work. With the wireless sensors already developed, they are now trying to make the matchbox-sized sensors even smaller and reduce manufacturing costs from the current USD100 prototypes to less than USD1 apiece.
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