With the increase in cost of the various utility services, we are always looking to save money. Electricity has risen in price considerably, so buying an electricity monitor is a good way of checking on how much is used and whether savings can be made in electricity & money.
I had 6 large spotlight and 6 small spotlights in my kitchen & thought that I could be using a lot of electricity.
I decided to buy a wireless electricity monitor to measure how much was being used, in the hope of saving electricity & money by replacing the lamps with led lamps.
There are various energy monitors available ranging from ?20($30) upward, each offering various options to measure electricity.
One company that offers a good selection of energy monitors is OWL. OWL provides some very good electricity monitors that show you how much electricity you are using at any time and how much it is costing.
Many of the energy monitors can help you to save money off your electricity bill by providing up to the second information on the amount of electricity you are using in pounds and pence so that you can see the financial gain of turning off electrical devices at home.
Whether it's turning off at the plug rather than just using standby or simply turning off a light, energy monitors shows you how changing your behaviour can save you money and so help the environment. Generally, they are easy to install, easy to read and easy to use. Monitor your electricity & see which appliances use the most electricity.
Many energy electricity monitors tell you how much electricity that you're using, and how much the cost of the electricity is. You can also measure how much cost per day, week or month by using the reset button.
Most of the OWL energy monitors use current transformer sensing technology to detect and monitor a tiny magnetic field around your
Household electricity power cable. It measures the current (Amps) being used and, by reference to the system voltage, works out the amount of power being used and the cost. It then transmits this information from the Transmitter wirelessly to the Display on a radio frequency of 433MHz, from up to 30 metres (100 feet) away (unbroken transmission).
The purpose of the product (ad an energy monitor) is primarily as an educational device to aid understanding of the cost of operating electrical appliances in the home. It is not intended for the Owl Micro Wireless Energy Monitor to replace your accurate electricity revenue meter.
Most UK household electricity supplies use single-phase, but some use three phase. In single-phase supplies, the current flows to and from your household appliances using a neutral and power line. The neutral line has a voltage close to zero while the power line carries a fluctuating voltage or phase. The difference between these two lines makes the current flow through your appliances & is where the energy monitor measure the flow of electricity.
In three phase supplies, current flows to and from a device through a group of three lines - each one carrying a fluctuating voltage or phase
Having monitored the difference in electricity usage with my kitchen lights both on and off, I was able to work out that by switching to led lamps, that I would save ?150($230)per year. So after spending ?40($62) for new lamps & ?22($34)for my energy monitor I was in credit for year 1, by ?88($136). Next year I could look forward to a saving of at least ?150($230).
For most people an investment in an energy monitor should pay off very quickly.
Author Resource:
Bob Snowzell writes for various companies including energy monitor world, who specialise in energymonitors and electricity monitors