Google announced yesterday that it is currently developing its new software that will provide users with detailed information on their electricity consumption, which is expected to lead to a reduction of about 15 percent.

The software is called Google PowerMeter and it will be integrated in the iGoogle platform. According to the company, users will be able to choose to use the service or not by opting in, and all the personal data will be kept safe, as it will not be shared between Google and utilities. Also, the electricity data will be stored securely, and users will be able to select when to stop sending data to the PowerMeter.

The need for such a feature had been considered for quite some time, as there is no such software available for consumers.

In one of its official blog posts, the company explained that “Google’s mission is to ‘organize the world’s information and make it universally accessible and useful,’ and we believe consumers have a right to detailed information about their home electricity use.”

The software is being tested by Google’s engineers, in order to address any issues that might occur and get everything ready for its official release. There are no details about the date it should come out, but there are still several steps that need to be taken before that; one of them is finding a utility or independent device provider to gather the data and sign a partnership. Another aspect is the one related to the advanced energy meters, also known as smart meters, which homes must be equipped with in order to access the service – at this point there are close to 40 million such meters in use worldwide, but another 100 million are expected to be added over the next few years.