What's the idea?

The Electric Domestic is a smart meter - and then some. It monitors all of the energy use (and production) in the home, links up all home appliances wirelessly, and gives you total, effortless control over what is happening and when.

It manages the home for maximum efficiency, so will show when the fridge needs defrosting or if the boiler is running only at 40% efficiency. It will even let you know if the lights unexpectedly go on when you are out and will send you a text or alert the police if necessary. It will also be able to verify the energy-saving claims of new appliances, for example checking that your new A-rated washing machine is performing as the supplier said it would. By saving energy, it also saves money.

The Electric Domestic is a small, discreet wall-mounted device that can be designed to fit in with the look of your home. The interface can be installed onto your home computer and used like a normal piece of software. Alternatively, you can talk to it from anywhere in the house.

Why is this a low carbon product?

Smart meters are already being planned for houses in 2007. These will monitor gas and electricity use in the home, tell the occupant how much they are using in terms of cost, energy and carbon and tell the energy supplier the same information directly over the internet. This gives people more information and control over their energy use and so allows them to reduce energy - household energy is currently responsible for 29% of the UK's energy consumption.

By 2022, the smart meter will be doing a lot more. It will be communicating via local wireless networks with all energy-using appliances - which will all have their own internet address and be networked - to monitor what they're doing, and will be able to keep the homeowner informed so that the home uses the least energy possible. The Electric Domestic also means that energy companies will be able to reduce the number of meter-readers travelling around the country from house to house, again reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

How could Electric Domestic fit into our lives in 2022?

If this was a real product, would you be interested?