Home Energy Monitors: What They are & How they Can Cut Down Costs

by Brad Fein
Energy Monitor

Energy costs are a huge part of household expenses. Keeping your home cool in the winter and warm in the summer can be very expensive. It doesn’t matter how much you use it, the thermostat costs a lot of money. When you are spending too much on your household energy, you can get a monitor to help you keep track of how much power you are using. This will help you cut down on what you are using and save money.

What is an Energy Monitor?

An energy monitor that keeps track of your entire home is made up of three units. You can even monitor your energy use with a hand-held device. It will show you how much electricity you are using in your house. Some models even allow you to receive the information on your phone, tablet, or computer. A sensor unit clips on the power cable and connects to your electricity meter to measure the amount of energy you are utilizing. Transmitters send you information wirelessly to the device to read it on the screen. In addition you can buy basic plug-in monitors for measuring the energy used by appliances.

Reducing Energy Use

An energy monitor should show a reading of how much power you’re using. A good one will also show you how expensive that power is. It can also provide the amount of greenhouse gas emissions, some of the best energy monitors allow you to walk around the house and switch things off. It enables you to find out how much energy you are using on a daily basisas well as how much you’re saving when you start using the energy more efficiently. Some can set daily electricity targets and alarms thatwill let you know when you’ve reached a certain amount of energy use.

How Much Could it Save?

An energy monitor can’t actually save you money, it all depends on the way you use it. Not only can the energy monitor help you understand how much power you are using, it can also tell you what appliances are costing the most. Finally, it can illuminate how much you can save. According to MoneyPug, which is used to compare utilities, using an energy monitor could reduce your energy use by 5 percent to fifteen percent in just a year. This could really add up.

How Should I Use it?

When you have installed your home energy monitor, you should go around the home and switch off everything you can. You can see which room should hold the energy monitor and what you want it to monitor. If the model allows you to view the stats on a hand-held device, you will have the ability to walk around freely and see what’s using power. While the monitor reading may increase when you switch to a new appliance, transmitting this information takesa couple of seconds. This is a great way to find out which appliances are costing the most. You can even consider this when you are looking at what rooms are using the most energy. You should take a look at your energy stats often to get in the habit of checking the electricity use and switching it off appliances to save energy.

Energy Monitor Accuracy

You should know that some energy monitors are more accurate than others. You should choose a monitor that measures power in watts. Some home power monitors measure apparent power. It won’t be as accurate when gauging small amounts of consumption. You can also find a monitor that has the ability to keep track of specific rooms. While every monitor has a different accuracy, you should do your best to find the one that works best for you.

When you are struggling to keep your household energy down, you could buy an energy monitor to keep track of how much power you are using, and which room you are using it in. With the right monitor, you will be able to see what appliances are using the most energy and what you can turn off or unplug completely. That way you will be able to save a lot of money and work towards living more sustainably.

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