Saving the planet one gadget at a time

Saving energy in a home full of gadgets can seem impossible but the latest home energy technology can help you save the planet - and money.

Gadgets such as smart meters are part of the government's plan to cut carbon emissions. Due in your home sometime after 2013, they show you exactly what electricity you are using, and how much it is costing.

They will also communicate with your supplier, automatically taking readings and making switching suppliers much simpler.

But you do not have to wait until the end of the decade to start cutting your consumption.

The Wattson is a simplified smart meter. A sensor clipped onto your fusebox monitors the electromagnetic field in the wires coming from it, and the accompanying transmitter sends the information, wirelessly, to the shiny Wattson box.

It shows how much power you are using right now, and how much that would cost if - rather unrealistically - you continued to keep everything on all day, every day of the year.

It really does show how switching on the kettle, the oven and any other home appliance sends your wattage sky high.

The accompanying software, Holmes, is more useful. It can show usage over time, and settings can be tweaked for a particular energy tariff.