Energy Monitors

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andyfuller
Posts: 4619
Joined: Wed Mar 25, 2009 12:23 pm

Nothing really to do with trading (though do you know the cost of running your trading equipment each year?) but I know how people on here like to collect data so I half suspect some users will be using Energy Monitors in their homes.

If so can anyone recommend one? Or got any advice?

I recently was around a family members house and the price of energy came up with it being in the news so much of late. I was taken aback when I heard how much they were spending on energy so I have said I will do them an 'energy audit' as I am sure I can get them a 'free' holiday each year with the savings, tbh I am pretty sure they will have plenty of spending money as well! And with no noticeable change in their lifestyle if/when they adopt the changes.

As part of doing it I want to get an energy monitor to make life easier to show them where they are wasting money as they didn't think they were.

So ideally I want one for plugging devices in to show individual devices usage and then one for their general usage that can pop on to the meter. So if anyone has any experience please let me know.

TIA.
Bet Angel
Bet Angel
Bet Angel
Posts: 3999
Joined: Tue Apr 14, 2009 3:47 pm

I installed one of these last week and so far am impressed: http://efergy.com/products/engagekit-hub#.UugeDXzfWSM

Monitor real-time usage via an iPhone (updates every 6 seconds) and download usage history into a CSV file.

Regards

Simon
PeterLe
Posts: 3715
Joined: Wed Apr 15, 2009 3:19 pm

Andy
I had the remote heating product installed by British gas. The house is quite big and the heating bills are high.

http://www.britishgas.co.uk/products-an ... ating.html

we all work different hours in the house so no point heating the house when no one is there. you have the ability to set the heating schedule via the web, by sending a simple text such as "heat on", or via a cool app.If I'm travelling back to an empty home, I simply switch it on an hour before I'm due home and,it's lovely and warm when I arrive.
My son will just be going to bed after working nights and we are in London for a few days, so I have just switched the heating off from my hotel room!
regards
Peter
andyfuller
Posts: 4619
Joined: Wed Mar 25, 2009 12:23 pm

Cheers for the replies.

I was listening to a Mootley Fool podcast last night and they were talking about how in the coming decades these kind of devices are going to become ever more common and lead to much greater efficiency in how we as consumers use our energy and lower our demands.

The purchase of NEST by Google recently is pretty interesting, I assume the main reason they bought them out was to give them a way into our houses. There is of course going to be privacy issues but I think it will be pretty interesting to see what they come up with in this new internet of things era.

I don't think I or my family would have much need at present for the British Gas item but I had heard about them and I have seen them advertised on TV recently. I think people are due to the harder times of late becoming much more aware of their energy usage along with other aspects of their spending such as food.

The efergy item look interesting and I will explore that more. I am alos going to look at getting one of these Belkin units so as to allow easy measurement of individual items:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B003 ... Q27ZEWPKIC

I recently got my parents to switch their spot lights in their house to LED bulbs. They hadn't realised how much was being spent on the electric and I don't think many people do. There has been a big increase in spotlights for lighting in houses as it becomes more fashionable but the running costs can be huge.
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mugsgame
Posts: 1235
Joined: Wed Mar 25, 2009 11:41 pm

I do it the old fashioned way. I look in the cupboard under the stairs and watch that little wheel fly around on the meter. Stick the kettle on and watch the f***** fly :)
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