Google, venture capitalists ask Obama let consumers track energy use

Nearly 50 companies and organizations signed a letter asking President Barack Obama to adopt a goal of letting every household and business access detailed information about their energy use. "By giving people the ability to monitor and manage their energy consumption, for instance, via their computers, phones or other devices, we can unleash the forces of innovation in homes and businesses," said the letter signed by Google, Comcast, Intel, Kleiner Perkins, Khosla Ventures and AT&T, to name a few. "At the same time, we can harness the power of millions of people to reduce greenhouse gas emissions -- and save consumers billions of dollars," says the letter, which was sent to the White House. The hope is that having access to electricity use will drive consumers to make concerted efforts to curb it.