Most homeowners cut their electricity bills by 3% to 20% when given a gadget to monitor their usage. Energy bills are expected to keep rising. In 2008 the average electricity bill was £475.
Energy monitors fall into two groups.
Smart Meter
The first are smart meters. These meters will monitor electricity and gas. Under government plans a major roll out will begin by the end of 2020. The meters will include a high-level of smart functionality – but not a real time display. The benifits of the smart meter.
No more meter readings - the energy company can read your meter automatically.
More accurate bills - your bill is always based on the exact energy you use, not on an estimate. This will make overpaying a thing of the past.
Lower bills - utilities will be able to pass on their reduction in customer service overheads. Also the savings from not having to employ people to read your meter should be past on to the consumer.
Keep track of your energy use - you can see your energy consumption on your mobile phone or other display device. Most smart meters update every 60 or 60 minutes. Full details to be confirmed.
Sell energy back to the grid - if you generate your own energy (e.g. wind or solar power) you can sell any energy you don't use.
Flexible tariffs - utilities will be able to change the cost of electricity or gas at certain times of the day to match with the demand. When demand is high, for instance between 5pm and 7pm (when people arrive home from work, switch on the TV, boil the kettle, and turn on the lights), energy prices are higher than at times of low demand such as in the middle of the night. Consumers will be able to alter their power use to match the lower tariff periods.
More details on smart meters........................
Energy Monitor
The second are real-time electricity displays from the likes of Owl, DIY Kyoto, Eco-eye, Efergy and Current Cost. These relatively cheap (from £25) energy monitors can be fitted in minutes. They generally consist of three items. A clip that is clipped around your incoming supply (no electrician needed). A transmitter – which sends a wireless signal to the receiver. The receiver can be placed anywhere in the home. Features can vary from manufacturers.
Seeing how much electricity household appliances use can sometimes be rather shocking! Energy monitors make large savings possible.
Start saving today - energy monitors are available today in all shapes and sizes. You can fit one in minutes and change your energy use habits.
Simple to fit - anyone can fit one of the energy monitors available on the market today. Installation is as simple as 1,2,3. Clip the CT clamp, plug in to transmitter. Switch on display and hit the seek button. The monitor will then pair with the transmitter.
Why wait ? - most of the latest energy monitors on the market already have the ability to connect to your computer. There is also lots of open source software available to chart you energy efficiency. Why wait until 2020 to monitor your energy usage?
More details on energy monitors.............
