The Environment

No, it's not the device Scientologists use to detect your theta level. eMeter makes dumb utility companies smart. Most electric utilities don't know how much power their customers are using at any given time, only during actual meter readings, and they don't even know if customers are out of power unless someone picks up the phone and calls them. Utilities apparently missed the information technology revolution. But eMeter's software helps electric companies keep track of real-time data about energy use, enabling them to deliver power more efficiently and cut waste in a big way. Better data also goes to customers, who can see when and why they're wasting power. "The information infrastructure has to be put in place so that smart people can do smart things," says Cree Edwards, eMeter's CEO. "This will change electricity the way cell phones changed telecommunications."