Has anyone out there tried one of those home energy monitors? My husband and I have been considering getting one of these. You can hook them up and they will tell you how much power you're using at any given time, as well as the cost. I'd be curious to know if anyone else has invested in one of these, and whether they work as advertised, and whether you've found it useful. Thanks in advance!
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Energy Monitors?
Started by pwcross, Nov 06 2011 04:48 PM
6 replies to this topic
#2
Posted 06 November 2011 - 05:38 PM
A home energy monitor seems like a useful tool. I also heard of energy-saving devices, some built into certain appliance while others are added onto them. Monitoring energy usage + setting a timer on some of your household devices probably could be very helpful.
#3
Posted 07 November 2011 - 01:40 PM
That sounds like a good product; I'll have to check that out. My husband recently got some special surge protectors that shut off everything plugged into them when you shut off the main appliance. For instance, he's got all the media-related stuff plugged into one of these surge protectors so that if you shut off the TV, all the other stuff like the DVD player, the DVR, the PlayStation, the Wii, etc., all turn off, too (completely, not just stand-by mode). We've also got our computer plugged into one, and shutting down the computer causes a complete shut-down of the printer, scanner, and speakers. This helps to keep these added appliances from draining energy when not in use.
#4
Posted 04 December 2011 - 10:19 AM
I have never heard of such a gadget. If it exist, then I would like to have one because that is an accurate way to know how much you are using and the cost. You can then decide if to cut down on cost or not. You can also know which appliance is consuming more power than the rest and see if its truly needed in your house. Seems like a useful one.
#5
Posted 24 December 2011 - 07:31 PM
I use an energy monitoring device, but I don't like it because I only have one, so I can only monitor one item at a time. I've seen systems where a centralized device collects the usage of dozens of wall readers, so you can view the power usage of the whole house and each item all at once.
#6
Posted 25 December 2011 - 02:52 AM
kat74, on 04 December 2011 - 10:19 AM, said:
I have never heard of such a gadget. If it exist, then I would like to have one because that is an accurate way to know how much you are using and the cost. You can then decide if to cut down on cost or not. You can also know which appliance is consuming more power than the rest and see if its truly needed in your house. Seems like a useful one.
http://www.consumerr...monitors-ov.htm
#7
Posted 25 December 2011 - 08:49 AM
pwcross, on 07 November 2011 - 01:40 PM, said:
....My husband recently got some special surge protectors that shut off everything plugged into them when you shut off the main appliance. For instance, ... shutting down the computer causes a complete shut-down of the printer, scanner, and speakers. This helps to keep these added appliances from draining energy when not in use.
Such devices could be extermely useful, should be developed far more widely, made available & used. In fact, they should be used far more in offices, establishments, private comercial places and wherever needed. Because, at leasr as I have noticed, the usual tendency is to leave most of those with power on mode. Whether or not they consume power in real terms, they certainly must be adding certain emissions to the environment.
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