Just before the big earthquake hit Japan (and triggered a need to save energy in the whole country), Fujitsu announced [JP] a “smart” power strip with four outlets that tracks power consumption for each outlet individually. The strip (1,500W) can be connected to a computer via USB 2.0 to show how much electricity is being consumed on a PC screen, in real-time (see below).
Fujitsu also plans to sell a “gateway” unit that collects the information from multiple power strips and sends it to an administrator who can then track the overall energy usage in a building or company. According to Fujitsu, energy consumption was pushed down by as much as 15% during tests in the company’s own administrative divisions.
Before the quake, the plan was to start marketing the strip next month in Japan (Fujitsu hasn’t changed the sales date on its website yet). Each device is expected to be priced at around $125, while the “gateway” will cost between $550 and $620. Initially, the main target group are businesses.