Google's vision is very far-reaching. The company believes it will be able to provide some , if manufacturers, utilities, and consumers get on board.

For instance, the meter could "signal" to the dishwasher that it's cheaper to run the dishwasher in the morning rather than at night. Or, it could tell the customer that he or she could save money by running it at a different time.

Several utility companies, such as and , have already deployed smart meters that provide some information about usage. There are about 47 million smart meters in use, according to Lu's blog entry.

Last summer, Pepco began offering residents in the District of Columbia a smart metering program.

In California, PG&E began rolling out smart meters in 2006. The devices allow customers to monitor their gas usage in a day-by-day breakdown, and their electric usage in an hour-by-hour breakdown, spokesperson Paul Moreno told The Industry Standard.