The next meter your utility company installs will be a smart one, the industry tells us. (It’s all part of the government’s smart-grid plans, and a potentially a new threat to consumers’ privacy.)

Your smart meter may have the ability able to tell you how much juice your dishwasher is using or how efficient your fridge is.

But another system, developed by engineering students at Northeastern University, can do a better job of helping you trim your energy bill. The system, called Numbers Empower, uses wireless sensors to monitor each appliance in your home, individually.

It also lets you shut those devices off from any location, using your mobile phone or PC. Unlike with your smart meter, you do not need the utility company’s help to install the Numbers Empower system.

You plug the appliances into the sensors, and the sensors into your home’s wall sockets. The sensors then relay each appliance’s electricity consumption to an Internet-connected router, via Zigbee, the RF standard crafted for appliances and other devices around the home.  You can then view a graphical and numerical chart that shows how much that Vornado air purifier is costing.

Better yet, you can shut off the energy hogs in your home remotely — for example, if you forgot to shut off your home entertainment system — via the system’s Web interface. Numbers Empower, which was built with support from National Grid, also produces customized reports, so you can get a broader picture of your energy use.

By Hong Nhung