Energy monitoring devices to cut on those 'shocking' bills

One thing that really gets my goat is the hefty energy bill that the electric company so conveniently delivers to me every month. Desperate times call for desperate measures, and after having this thought for quite a while, I decided to monitor my energy usage so I can cut on the unnecessary bits. Well, here is a list of gadgets that can inform us in real time the energy consumed by our appliances.

Individual appliance energy monitoring systems:

This category includes monitors for individual gadgets. They usually don't monitor the total energy consumed in a home but can inform you about the amount of energy a single appliance is consuming.

Kill-a-Watt:

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Kill-a-Watt is one such product. All you have to do is to plug this device into a wall socket and then connect an appliance into the socket provided on the face of this device. This device then informs you the real time energy consumption of that appliance. With this device you can tell what energy is being consumed by your old appliance so that you can replace that with a more energy-efficient appliance. The Kill-a-Watt costs you around $20-25.

Whole Home Energy Monitoring Systems:

Some people like to know the details of the energy consumed by all of the appliances used in their home. This cannot be done with the help of devices like Kill-a-Watt. To suffice the purpose you need to have much better devices that can inform you the real time energy consumption of your home,

Wattson:

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This product has been developed in UK and comes in two parts that is a sensor and a display. For installation you have to clip the sensor in between the fuse box and the energy meter and the display is a wireless unit that displays the real-time energy usage by the home. To measure the energy consumed in a particular appliance you can turn all other appliances off and then check the amount of energy consumed by that appliance. The bad thing with this device is that it is currently available in UK. The Wattson will set you back by £350.

PowerCost Monitor:

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The PowerCost monitor also operates just like the Wattson. It too has a sensor and a display unit. This device informs the user of consumption both in kilowatt hours and in dollars and cents. Getting to know your electricity bill with it is a good idea. The device also informs the user about the highest amount of energy spent over a 24-hour period. With this you can get to know the peak energy usage time of your home and then can manage it accordingly. This device costs $149.

EML 2020 Total Home Energy Monitor Kit:

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This device is the best that is in the market today. It comes with two sensors, a meter and software. Users can connect the meter with their computers using the USB cable that is provided in the package. This unit can act both as an individual device monitoring system and also a whole home energy monitoring system. To measure the energy consumed by just a single appliance you can connect it to the power outlet just like the Kill-a-Watt device and can also be clamped to the electricity panel if you need more generalized information of the energy consumption in your home. All the information is stored in the meter, which can then be downloaded to a computer using the USB cable and the software. This device will set you back by $560.

Upcoming Energy Monitoring Systems:

Industry is always a place where a new invention hits the market every now and then and researchers always remain busy developing better devices. An upcoming energy monitoring system is expected to hit the market soon.

Home Joule:

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This hi-tech energy monitoring device will not only tell you the amount of energy you are consuming but will also inform you about the changing cost of the energy throughout the day. It comes with a better interface and a colored display. This device is in its testing stage and should soon hit the shelves.

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Via: Electronic House