FAQ
Are they easy to fit?
Yes, please see the article below
Do I need to employ an electrician?
Generally, no. If you are unsure of which cable to attach you, should seek advice.
Which of the monitors currently have a PC interface?
The Wattson, OWL and Efergy E2. Eco-Eye is working on it and they are due shortly. |
Energy Saving and Monitoring
Energy monitors are designed to show you, in a visual way, how much energy you are currently using. They will not save you energy directly, but they do show the impact of turning on and off your appliances and lights.
The energy monitors we sell consist of three basic parts, the sensor, the transmitter and the receiver. The sensor clips around the live cable either at your electricity meter or as the cable from the electricity meter goes into your consumer unit or fuse board. The sensor then plugs into the transmitter and it sends the power consumption in real time to the receiver. The receiver displays this information in a variety of ways depending on the model. For example, the DIY Kyoto Wattson glows different colours whilst the Eco-Eye Elite just displays it in large, clear numerals.
Some of the energy monitors, for example, The Wattson also have options to download the information to a PC for further analysis. This can be useful in finding appliances that consume a lot of energy when you are not there or are asleep.
What you do with the data from the energy monitors determines how much money you can save. Your home will generally have a base level of power that you will find it hard to get below, even when you think you have turned everything off. Examples of contributors to this include intruder alarms, central heating boilers and timers. If you are struggling to find these items, the only way of getting the consumption down to zero is to turn off each circuit at the consumer unit, then turn them on one at a time until you work out which circuit is drawing the power.
The next power requirement level is the energy required to run your home in a convenient and modern way during the day. This will include items such as your broadband router, cable modem, Sky+ box, DECT cordless phones etc. You could turn all these off when you are not using them but we are living in the 21st century and they have become a way of life.
The final level is the night time level, when you are at home with the lights on, watching TV, eating, surfing the internet etc. This will generally be the highest point of your consumption.
In order to effectively monitor your home and save energy and therefore money, you need to make a note of the current power requirements for the three levels mentioned above. This will give a baseline on which to work and a basis to calculate how much money you can save.
Having established a baseline, you can start making adjustments to your habits such as unplugging your mobile phone, iPod and other chargers and switching to energy saving LED or CFL lighting . You can also consider installing a home automation system to turn everything off that you do not need both overnight when you go to bed and when you leave the house.
Alternative sources of energy, such as Solar PV can be useful in providing the power needed during the day. Some local councils in the UK now provide interest free loans to fit this technology and only require paying back when you sell the house.
04/02/2010
Feed in tariffs have been announced by the government. This means that for every KwH of electricity you generate, you will be paid approximately 41p tax free. You even get the use the electricity as well!
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