Some people say...that bloggers aren't making news. We are just talking about it. Well, there are plenty of reasons we know that isn't true (emptywheel, ePluribus Media, Mike Stark, and more). But this is a story of how a diary on Kos led to my appearance on Boston television today.
Is it major BREAKING news? Not so much. But will people learn something? Maybe reduce their carbon footprint? I hope so.
It all started in a diary by gmoke--who has really great solar energy and other sustainable energy action diaries all the time:
Electricity in Your Face: Home Smart(er) Meters
In this diary, gmoke described new devices to monitor how much electricity you are actively using--in real time. In the project he described, Ontario users of this Power Cost Monitor reduced their usage by 6.5%.
In that diary, I mused that I was an NStar customer and I had found out from gmoke's links that NStar was looking at them. So I wondered: how does one become a tester on a project like that? So, I made calls. Here's something I can do pretty well: I can make calls to track stuff down. I will find out tidbits of information, and pull on threads until I find the right person. Best secret source: librarians. If you need something, call a librarian. They are absolute masters of the mystery information quest.
Anyway, at NStar it didn't take that long. I found the guy involved, and asked to be put on the list for a Power Cost Monitor. However, even before he got back to me, Chapter1--another Kossack always bringing great sustainable energy action items to us--told me that an announcement was out about the monitors.
So I got one. Chapter1's description of the PCM in action is great--go there to check out Negawattsif you didn't already see that.
Anyway, after I got mine--NStar called me. They said that local TV wanted to do a spot on the Power Cost Monitors. They asked if I would do it. So today was the day. I was nervous. I am not comfortable on TV, or even on anyone's video camera. But hey, I gotta get the word out that we have to be more aware of our energy consumption. I got a whole series of smart advisors here at DailyKos. Why not me?
They set up the shots, and they chose my dining room for the discussion, so I couldn't show them the Energize America printout I have, nor the sign I used to cover up all my office clutter that says: Solar is Civil Defense.
It took a couple of hours--for a few seconds of information. And the phrase "sustainable energy action" is apparently on the cutting room floor. Alas. But if a few more people get active in thinking about their energy usage, that's all I can ask.
Anyway, here is the story.
Consumers Can Now Monitor Energy Consumption
....Mary Mangan admits she's obsessed about saving electricity. She does very well on her own, but now she's got a powerful new weapon -- the power cost monitor. Definitely not your father's electric meter, it's a wireless gadget that gives you real-time power consumption....
See the video here: http://wbztv.com/...
After the segment, the anchor, Jack Williams, speculated that clothes lines might be making a comeback! The woman anchor, Lisa Hughes, said that they were very much in vogue now. Of course, y'all knew that already--but the message is out!