The electricity consuming end-user profile has changed in latest years, due to development of new electrical devices with increased functionality and complexity. Also increasing number of electricity consuming equipment that is available to end-user, makes very hard to identify real electricity consumption of each device. The existing wall plug digital power meters are too expensive for long-term power metering of each consuming device. The article describes a different approach of power metering system that lowers the costs and price of needed metering equipment. A new concept of low-cost energy monitoring system with wireless communication is developed.

The changes taking place in economics, its internationalisation, development of information and progress of science and technique determine the necessity to raise the country's economic competitiveness, as the result of it the level of life will rise. It is relevant for Latvia to be aware of its advantages and potential competitiveness in order to carry out appropriate macroeconomic policy and favour the introduction of appropriate macroeconomic as well as social policy. The main advantage for providing more rapid development is the fact that Latvia is a small country, able to adopt flexibly, the demand of economic environment where it is easier to achieve a compromise with society. As well as the fact that it is characteristic for the population of Latvia to have a constant tendency towards better life. The way in which Latvia will be able to use its comparative advantages in context of EU market will determine the progress of the national economy including agriculture. At the moment, several problems, which are to be solved, have already appeared in agriculture. The more rapid introduction of technologies of information communication (ICT) in agriculture could be one of the ways to solve the problem. It would provide the development for both economic and social spheres motivating exchange of information, expanding of the market, increasing of production quality, improving work organisation in enterprises, and providing more possibilities for education. To carry out the questioning of students of the Latvia University of Agriculture in the course of study in order to find out the level of ICT application among students, as well as to obtain information about ICT application in the process of education.

With this issue of 2009, we bring 52 proceedings of the 98, which started life as presentations at the Annual 15th International Scientific Conference Research for Rural Development 2009 held at the Latvia University of Agriculture, in Jelgava, on 20 to 22 May 2009. In the retrospect of four months later, we can count the Conference as a great success. The theme - Research for Rural Development - attracted participation of 321 researchers with very different backgrounds. There were 4 presentations from Ukraine, 3 from Sweden, 2 from Belarus, 3 from Estonia, 1 from Belgium, 1 from India, 1 from Turkey, 10 from Lithuania and 64 from Latvia. Four independent reviewers estimated each report. The proceedings of the Annual 15th International Scientific Conference Research for Rural Development 2009 is intended for academics, students and professionals researching in the area of crop production, animal breeding, agricultural engineering, agrarian and regional economics, food sciences, veterinary medicine, forestry, wood processing, water management. The proceedings will also be useful for researchers in educational sciences.