The more control you have over your electricity bills, the more money you’ll save. One way of saving money is going solar. But if you pair it up with a home energy monitor, this will save even more energy in the long run.
Home energy monitors can track electricity consumption in your home, which can help you decrease your energy demand. This article will look at home energy monitors' function and working.
Home Energy Monitors
Home energy monitors track and measure your home’s electricity consumption. They also provide feedback about the circuits that are using electricity, the amount of energy used, the time that power is used, and the cost of that amount.
Other names for home energy monitors are power monitors, home electricity monitors, and consumption monitors. Electrical panels can fit whole home energy monitors, which can then identify usage by certain appliances or circuits.
Working
The two types of home energy monitors are:
Individual Appliance Energy Monitor:
This monitor is handy for monitoring a few specific devices. If you have attached any appliance to a monitor and turned it on. The alternating current (AC) will be sent via the monitor to the power cord.
The energy monitor probe on the power cable will then transfer secondary AC information to the energy monitor, so you know how much electricity is consumed by that appliance. These monitors can’t be used for larger appliances (220V) such as ovens and clothes dryers. They are only compatible with smaller appliances like lights or blenders.
Whole-Home Energy Monitor:
This monitor is usually attached to the home’s electrical panel. This enables it to track energy consumption past the energy meter as it flows throughout the house.
Everything is recorded on these monitors concerning electricity usage. They can also track the activity of individual appliances attached to a specific circuit.
They can work either by attaching separate sensors onto individual circuits or attaching sensors to the main electrical input of your home, after which they can detect the unique energy signature of each device as it turns on and off over time.
This collected data helps the monitor provide insights about your energy usage and how you can better use that electricity for lower bills. The insights can be delivered via email, through a smartphone app, or through an online portal.
With a Wi-Fi connection, you can get real-time data on the appliances using the most electricity, which you can change to decrease your energy consumption and save money.
Smart Plug Outlet
This specific type of energy monitor is used for advanced real-time data in smaller appliances like bathroom tools, electronics, and cooking gadgets. They are plugged into the outlet and then into the targeted appliance. They can monitor the appliance’s electricity usage and send you that data. They can also disconnect the power from the device attached to them. This helps save power when the device is not being used.
Individual Appliance Energy vs Whole-Home Monitors
Depending on your needs, you might be better off with a whole-home monitor or an individual appliance energy monitor. You should only buy an individual appliance monitor if:
- The appliances that need to be monitored are small, like a toaster.
- You want to monitor specific appliances.
A whole-house monitor is only needed when:
- Large appliances like a dryer, oven, or washer must be monitored.
- There are a lot of multiple different appliances on one circuit.
- You want to monitor all your appliances and keep track of their energy consumption.
- You aren't sure how, where, and when your home consumes electricity.
Benefits Of A Home Energy Monitor
Not only does a home energy monitor help you save power and lower your electricity bills, and it accurately determines which appliance uses how much energy to help you create a plan to reduce that energy consumption. Other advantages include:
- Stops Issues From Becoming Problems:
Since these monitors detect everything in your appliance, they can detect changes in behaviours and potentially stop issues from becoming problems. This way, you can fix that issue before it makes you pay some serious bills.
- Introduces Energy-Efficient Changes:
Suppose you know which device uses how much energy. In that case, you can lower energy consumption or even replace devices that consume a lot of energy to save yourself from high electricity bills.
- Assists You In Making Wise Decisions:
Knowing how much electricity each device uses makes it easier to make informed decisions about that device.
- Understanding The Cost of Energy:
Most people pay their bills without giving them a second thought. Some might be curious about which device uses the most electricity or how that bill is calculated, but the average bill doesn’t provide that information.
Installing a monitor gives you that peek into your electricity bills, how much electricity is used, where and when. Some smart monitors even give you real-time tracking of the actual cost of your energy consumption.
This is especially beneficial when you live where Time-of-Use rates are applied, and you can shut off your device when the rates are on a certain time of the day.
- Alerting About Devices You Thought Were Off:
A very common habit of many people is leaving devices on unintentionally. Some home energy monitors even alert you that an appliance is still running because the energy readings are higher than usual. Check the data on your monitor app before leaving your home to prevent increased electricity bills.
- Awareness About Energy Usage:
The constant monitoring of energy helps you keep in mind the electricity consumption and keep an eye on each device through the monitor to save money in the long run.
Solar Panels And Home Energy Monitors
Solar panels are installed to save money by generating your electricity rather than relying on the grid. You can track your energy consumption using a home energy monitor to keep yourself under the limit of only what your solar panels produce. If you go overboard, you’ll have to take energy from the grid, increasing your bills.
Selecting The Best Home Energy Monitor
You should look for these features when comparing home energy monitors:
Voice Control:
A few house energy monitors and a mobile app are also compatible with Amazon Alexa, Apple HomeKit, and Google Home.
Smart Home Compatibility:
Other home energy monitors have Bluetooth or Wi-Fi connectivity. This allows them to connect seamlessly with your smart home and all the devices. The HVAC system, thermostat, and devices can be turned on or off with this seamless compatibility.
Real-Time Cost Tracking:
If you’re living with a Time-of-Use plan, look for energy monitors that can track real-time costs to match your devices shutdown with peak electricity billing hours, ultimately saving you money.
Application and Notifications:
You’ll find many energy monitors having a mobile app that shows data about electricity consumption by your devices. The app can also actively track this energy expenditure. Turn on the notifications, and you’ll get constant updates every time some device is left on or uses more energy than usual.
Installation:
Home energy monitors are very easy to install. Still, we would advise hiring a professional electrician for the job since there are many electrical hazards associated with these devices. Plus, the monitor is not going to be attached to just one device but to multiple circuits.
AI/ML Recognition:
Smart home energy monitors use artificial intelligence (AI) or machine learning (ML) to accurately track energy consumption and identify the “signature” of individual appliances while reporting their usage. The pattern familiarity can weeks and months, but once detected, they can efficiently manage energy consumption.
Solar Power Tracking:
You might have solar power or think about adding solar energy to your home’s ecosystem. If yes, choose a monitor that can track solar production and electricity expenditure. This way, you’ll know when solar panels are most productive.
Worth It?
Home energy monitors are a brilliant investment since they’ll ultimately save you money in the long run. Plus, they let you know about the functioning of your devices and track their energy usage. So they are worth it.