TED–short for The Energy Detective–is the smallest, cheapest phantom power solution we’ve seen so far. Is it the answer to greening your home?

TED, which starts at 130 dollars, is the home-based equivalent of the plug-in MPG gauges that are becoming increasingly popular in light of the rise in oil prices. The concept is simple, and one that dieters of all stripes will recognize: by putting the data in front of your eyes, you become aware of your level of consumption, and will be more motivated to lower it. If it can work with Diet Coke and gasoline, it’s got to work with electricity, right?

Features We Love

TED offers a multitude of features through a four-button scroll menu, which we imagine can’t be as simple as it seems.  If you manage to learn that, though, it’s got a 2-second reaction time to any change in power consumption in your home, allowing you instant access to your current/projected electric bill (you can program in your rates, even if they’re tiered), the power drain, the average consumption per billing cycle or per day, the peak consumption over those same time periods, and an alarm that sounds when you cross a certain power threshold–a great way to stick to a budget, be it for your sake or the planet’s.

How’s It Work?

This part is a little tricky–we’ll advise you to hire an electrician, who will more than likely cost more than the device itself, but only because we’re not entirely comfortable with the idea of poking around a breaker box with wire strippers and a screwdriver.  TED features a wireless transmitter that attaches itself to the breaker box innards, and broadcasts the relevant data to the receiver and it’s low-power LCD screen, which is plugged in anywhere in your home.

DOES it work?

According to the manufacturer’s claims, owning (and paying attention to) a TED will lower your energy bills by 10-20 percent, which means that the average American home would pay for the device in the first year of operation.  It’s a new product, so real-world efficiencies are yet to be seen, but the green press seems fairly consistent in their praise, if for not other reason than to raise awareness of power consumption.

More Reading:

TED Website
Save Money, Reduce Carbon Emissions (Treehugger)