In our temporary new abode in Berlin (yes we open another studio in Berlin), these two fellow sit proudly in the bathroom. Not under the sink or hiding in the cupboard - but proudly placed above the bath for every inhabitant or visitor to see. They haven’t necessarily redesigned themselves for their public outing. They happily turn, numbers rotate (as I suppose they did before), as I wash my face, rinse my hands, or flush the loo.

For all my time in London I don’t think I have ever come face to face with a water metre in the bathroom. In fact, the amount of water I consumed was so obscure to me and my many landlords, that it was something that was only settled vaguely, without any real understanding (on either side) upon moving out.

So it was a surprise seeing these fellows waiting, dials at the ready, when I arrived here. Although the relativeness of what I am consuming is not absolutely clear, the awareness that I am consuming is very apparent and has an effect.

There is no data interpretation here, no fancy interface it is just a metre. The classic ‘dashboard metre’ is a pleasing functional old school interface that runs at real time. A simple example of form follows function, no need for a filter layer between. The circlar movements of the dials are absorbing, especially when they change and start turning at different speeds. And the object as a whole integrates well with the functionality of the bathroom, a subtle functional reminder.

There is a big push now to make everyone aware of what and how much they are consuming. Metres are being redesigned, eco-chic gadgets are being created and information is being interpreted to communicate simply to households what is going on silently and invisibly in their house. This is fantastic and I am certainly going to sign up for a free realtime energy monitor, especially if it correlated in such a way that it helped me understand my quarterly bills (but that is a whole different post).

But just from my small experience with my old school dials, I am wondering what needs to be redesigned to help us become more aware and what could we simply bring out from under the cupboards and re-integrate into the everyday life of our homes.