Energy Aware Clock – it’s time to cut power use

Energy Aware Clock, installed on a wall

Energy Aware Clock, front view

The Energy Aware Clock is one of the fruits of the AWARE project, which took place from 2006 to 2008 at the Interactive Institute in Sweden.

The aim of the project:



AWARE is a design oriented research project that aims to increase people’s awareness of how energy is being used in everyday life, especially in our home environment. The objectives are to develop strategies and artefacts that make people attentive of their energy use, as well as offer them control and possibilities of making their energy use more efficient.

First thing, the Energy Aware Clock is not actually a clock, rather it is an electricity meter. Wirelessly connecting to a house’s meter box, in real time the Energy Aware Clock displays the household’s energy consumption. In addition to showing the consumption in real time, the usage of the two previous days is displayed through the use of different colours. The display can be configured to show usage by week, days or minutes.

The Energy Aware Clock is constructed of glass and acrylic, and was designed by Loove Broms, Karin Ehrnberger, Sara Ilstedt Hjelm, Erika Lundell and Jin Moen. The thinking behind the choice a a clock representation was to have the device as easy to read and use as the standard kitchen clock.

Energy Aware Clock, installed on a wall

Is the Energy Aware Clock available to buy? No, not yet, it has only been displayed at a few museums and design shows around the world. The Interactive Institute has granted a licence to Swedish company Pike Solutions AB to manufacture the device, and it is set to be released in the Northern Hemisphere autumn.

“Through our new product that visualizes previously hidden information, we will change the way people relate to energy use in homes as well as at work. Our concept is simply helps people and businesses who want to reduce their energy use”, says Pike Solutions AB founder Niclas Luthman.