More energy monitoring is coming to the masses. Lowe’s hardware stores in several states today will begin selling Blue Line Innovations’ inexpensive PowerCost Monitor and its WiFi Gateway accessory in the stores’ energy centers. The PowerCost Monitor is a do-it-yourself energy monitoring system that can report a home’s total electricity consumption.

The WiFi Gateway enables real time energy feeds to the free on line applications Microsoft Hohm and Google PowerMeter.

The PowerCost Monitor works by attaching an optical sensor to the electricity meter outside the home. The sensor reads the data and transmits it wirelessly to a portable in-home monitor and through the WiFi Gateway and an in-home router to the cloud.

According to Peter Porteous, CEO of Blueline Innovations, energy monitoring in “the last few years have been fueled by early adopters, but we can see that families across the country are looking for simple, proven difference makers to combat their monthly electricity bill. Having product available just down the street is really important to accelerate the market.”

Porteous adds, “The free applications offered by Microsoft Hohm and Google PowerMeter have really brought new interest to the category. These are great tool kits for homeowners, offering the ability to see, chart and compare your real time electricity use combined with helpful tips and resources. We’re seeing some really positive results—homeowners have the potential to save 6 [percent], 12 percent or more off their monthly electricity bills.”

The PowerCost Monitor is available in 319 Lowe’s stores in Calif., Wash., Fla., Mass., N.Y., Md., and at Lowes.com. Basic systems start at about $109. A complete store-by-store listing can be found here.

The Blue Line monitor looks very similar to one launched by Black and Decker in 2008. You can see a demonstration of it here:

Steven Castle - Contributing Writer

Steven Castle is Electronic House's managing editor. he has been writing about consumer electronics, homes and energy efficiency topics for two decades. He is also the co-founder of GreenTech Advocates.