Whole House Power Consumption Monitor

It's here, and I've been waiting some time for this.  Smarthome just picked up an inexpensive whole house power consumption meter.  The device consists of a strap-on sensor/transmitter for your outdoor meter and a wireless receiver.  After a short calibration, the display unit will tell you the current usage in kW and the cost based on your electric provider's rate.  It will also sum the usage over the period of time since you last reset the device.  All for about $100.  Bravo.  This idea was first patented about 10 years ago.  Took too long to get to market, if you ask me.

As a side note, I was reading the other day about a similar device that also tapped into the total grid usage.  The device in this article actually glowed different colors based on the grid usage, prompting the homeowner to reduce usage during peak rates.  As I've mentioned in the past, these two devices need to be combined and should be standard on all new homes and electric refits.  I envision the device mounted near the door by the alarm panel.  The combined device should show the overall usage in the grid, your usage, the average usage of your local neighborhood, and an estimate of the C02 that is being dumped into the air.