Because it’s Earth Day and resource conservation messaging abounds, I’m reminded of Tenrehte (pronounced Ten-rate), an organization that’s hoping to positively influence the way the world manages its energy use. This Earth Day marks the one-year anniversary of when Tenrehte shipped the first prototype units of the innovative the PICOwatt Smart Plug, a Wi-Fi-enabled electrical outlet.

The PICOwatt took the award for the Best of CES in the Green Technology category when it was introduced in 2010 at the International Consumer Electronics Show (CES), the world’s largest technology trade show. A retrofit device, the PICOwatt fits into any standard outlet and allows users to control and monitor appliances and electronics remotely. Just as easy as flicking a switch on and off at home, PICOwatt allows users to control home devices with the Internet or a smartphone app. Although it’s not yet available to the general public, Tenrehte is currently making sales to corporate customers, governments, and institutions.

Devices like this offer utility customers (with or without a smart meter) a simple and convenient way to control their electrical ...