I. Introduction
According to EIA U.S. Energy Information Administration) and DOE (USA) reports, 41% of the energy consumed in the United States is in the form of electricity. Out of that 41%, 38% is consumed by the residential sector. This amounts to approximately kWh per year. Limited resources available for consumption has been forcing research related to alternative energy and improvements in energy efficiency in existing systems. Reducing energy consumption is another major area that can be addressed. Demand for electrical power varies throughout the day, yet varying the generation closely according to the demand is not practical. Time of use (TOU) pricing is one technique used to manage demand throughout a period of 24hrs. Time of use pricing promotes nonessential electrical loads to shift to times when energy is less expensive. Energy consumption feedback is advantageous when time of use pricing is enforced as it allows consumers to change behavior, thus resulting in financial gains as well as energy savings. Energy feedback related pilot studies have been conducted mainly in United States, in Europe and in Japan. These studies have shown that the level of feedback provided can significantly improve energy savings [1] [2]. Savings in energy increases as feedback provided becomes faster (real-time VS monthly billing etc…). It has been shown that energy feedback needs to be provided at the appliance level to allow most gains [1].