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Home energy meters are great ways of finding out how much electricity you are using instantaneously, and over time. This will help you reduce your bills and your carbon footprint.
A home energy meter provides prompt feedback on your home’s electrical energy usage.
How do they work? The basic components consist of a transmitter and a monitor. The transmitter device may be attached to the wire feeding into the electricity meter in your home and it can then count the watts that your household uses. As a result, you can see how much energy you’re consuming and where around the house
Why should I get one? Most home energy meters are relatively straightforward to set up and could aid you in changing habits to become more energy efficient, as well as saving money in the process. It is a useful tool in seeing how much power you actually use and whereabouts in your home. Historical data may be gathered, which means you can check your energy consumption hourly, weekly, monthly or how regularly you may want. Furthermore, some models can show costs and carbon dioxide emissions if you’re keen on monitoring your carbon footprint. Generally the message is that they take the guesswork out of your energy demands. On a national level, our peak and off-peak daily electrical consumption varies by around 37%. Shaving demand can smooth out usage to limit power spikes, which will put less strain on the Grid and reduce the need for large amounts of standby capacity generators. So not only will we be more energy efficient in our homes but also the electricity generators. What’s the difference between a Home Energy Meter and a Smart Meter? A home energy meter does communicate with your electricity supplier and it only records electricity data, whereas a smart meter records your gas consumption, as well as your electricity. Essentially, a home energy meter monitors your usage. Where can I get one? The Owl, Wattson and Efergy are available from the ethical superstore. The DIY Kiyoto is the Rolls Royce of electricity meters - like the other meters, the Wattson tells you your electricity consumption, but in a rather more stylish way. It's created by a company called DIY Kyoto, founded by three London design graduates, which is immediately apparent by the Wattson's slick design and ipod-esque curves.
In principle, it monitors your home electricity supply in much the same way as the rival models, via a wireless transmitter from your electricity meter box.
But quite apart from the stunning design, the Wattson has excellent accuracy, and most importantly of all, the ability to log detailed consumption data and graph it up on your PC or Mac, through their custom software, 'Holmes'. You can also connect yourself to the DIY KYOTO community and hub to compare your energy savings with others.
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