Reduce Your Energy APPetite!
Energy saving smart phone apps are the new buzz for both eco-friendly and budget conscious consumers. When asked recently what is it going to take to get people to cut their energy usage, an energy company marketing executive's response got our attention:

"The first thing you've got to admit to yourself is that energy is a low-interest category... regular people do not want to sit around thinking about energy efficiency all day long."

The point is that while educational efforts are critical to changing consumption habits - energy efficiency needs to be integrated into our daily routine in order to truly become second nature.

Yeah, there's an app for that...
One easy way to infuse energy efficiency into your daily routine is energy-related smart phone applications. From consumption monitoring and appliance calculators to collectible green tips, a variety of apps are available to help you better manage your energy usage. And, these apps are just the tip of the iceberg in terms of energy innovation. As Bill Gates recently stated, the energy business is one of the key industries that will "compete for being exciting in the decades ahead".

Just a few examples of energy saving apps:

• Green Outlet: Enter in your appliances and estimated usage, and it predicts your energy bill. It provides ideas on where you can cut back energy use by showing you which appliances are costing you the most. While adding up the financial cost of your appliance use, Green Outlet also adds up your household Carbon Footprint. $2.99
• My Usage Mobile: If you have a smart meter, this app allows you to check out your home energy and water usage data anytime, anywhere. It is a free service from Exceleron Software, a smart grid usage monitoring and prepaid utility service. This will help you better manager your carbon footprint, your resource usage, and your monthly bills. Free.
• MeterRead: Somewhat manual in usage but you can use MeterRead to log your electric meter’s readings and use them to predict your electrical consumption, and thus, your upcoming bill. With each reading you record, you get up-to-date stats on your energy use and an estimate of how many kilowatt hours you’ll burn for the next 30 days. $0.99
• Green Tips: This app displays a tip at launch. Hit the refresh button for more tips. Features include: User submitted Tip of the Day, Tips are rated by the community, Feature Tips, Recent Tips. Search includes more than 1000 tips. Free.

Link to more energy saving apps.

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