Energy monitor readouts

Jolaaled

Hi All.
I've invested in a plug-in energy monitor , but cannot understand which read-out i need to look at, to give me something meaningful. The instructions are, i think, a direct translation from Taiwanese and i can't understand these either!
The monitor has a number of different options for which display is needed..watts, amps, KWH etc, but not sure what the others are. The instructions given are:

2. The LCD shows all meter readings which
includes Volt, Current, Watt, Frequency,
Power Factor, and VA, it starts to
accumulate KWH and its duration time
(hour) after power ON.
3. Press Volt Key for true RMS Voltage
display.
4. Press Amp Key for true RMS output current
display.
5. Press Watt display Watt meter, then press
key to display VA meter, and active power
for 1 second each automatically.
Watt/VA Key is a toggle function Key, the
LCD will show Watt is the active power,
and VA is the apparent Power. (VA = Vrms
Arms)
6. HZ/PF is a toggle function key,the LCD
will show the sequence of HZ # PF # HZ
# HZ is the Frequency of output Voltage,
where PF is the Power Factor (ie
PF=W/Vrms Arms).
7. Press KWH shows the energy consumption,
then press key to display the time (hour) and
active power for 1 second each
automatically.
KWH/Hour is a toggle function key, the
LCD will show the sequence of KWH #
Hour # KWH. Kilo-Watt-Hour (from 0.01
KWH to 999 KWH) is electronic energy.
Hour is the duration time after Power On
(ie from l minute ~ 9999 Hour).

Can anyone help please???!!!

many thanks

Magentasue

Not 100% sure but the one I have has a KwH and Hour button (I think - haven't used it a while) and that's the one I used because that's what you're charged.

For example, I know my dishwasher uses 1.5KwH per load. For the tumble drier, I looked at how many units or KwH it used in an hour (1.75).

For some things, I looked at the units per use (boiling the kettle up to the 'first line', boiling a full kettle, ironing) and others over an hour (TV, Sky box). For the fridge and freezer, I took a reading for a day's use. So sometimes it's more appropriate to look at the units and the hour readings IYKWIM.

No idea about the other readings. Always meant to find out!

Jolaaled

thanks...i'm a bit ignorant on all the electricity measures..watts, kwh, units etc. (what is a unit??).

I currently have my laptop plugged into the meter, to experiment.
The Watts button tells me i'm using 31watts, but the kwh say's 0.00. the kwh/hour button currently says 0.03, but i spose that'll change as i stay plugged in. Do you think i'm deciphering it ok???

Does anyone have a list of readouts that they've already taken, for basic household equipment???..then i can check that i'm looking at the right figures.

thanks all

Magentasue

I've got a list - I'll PM you later.

My laptop was 0.1kwh for five hours.

This site is useful too:

http://www.sust-it.net

Woby_Tide

sounds like it's the maplin energy monitor, the main two buttons I've found of use are the ones yuo have used already. The watts one you have seen already what it is telling you, it just says at that point what the current power usage is, i..e your laptop will use 31watts for each hour its on

the Kwh button then gives you a cumulative readout over the time it's plugged in, if you press it a second time it tells you how long it has been plugged in for, yours is saying that it's been plugged in for 0.03 (which I forget is either saying 3 minutes or 0.03 of an hour i.e. 1 1/2 mins or so, which as you only use 30 watts per hour you've used less than the meter can display. Check it after an hour or 24 hours depending on appliance. I gave up on the hours reading to be honest I just made a note of when I plugged something in then went back c. 24hrs later to get a reading

Jolaaled

thanks..yes i did get it from maplins..it says its made by a company called Prodigit. The KWH button is a 'toggle' type..press it once and i think it then converts watts to kwh (ie divides by 1000????).
Press it twice..then..not sure...if this is then the actual time elapsed so far, or is it calculating the total number of kwh used so far???!!

Blimmin 'ec....so complicated!!

I'm gonna plug it in right away and see if the timer bit tallies with my analogue clock!

tomstickland

The most useful number is the total Kwh consumed.

ie: reset it and then use no7
it will toggle between the total Kwh (units) used and the time they have been used over.


Voltage is the voltage, probably 230V.
Amps is the current (flow rate of electricity)
Watts is the power being consumed (energy flow per unit time)

Kwh is the amount of energy used.
1 domestic unit is 1 Kwh.
If you ran a 1Kw heater for 1 hour then it would use 1 Kwh of energy.
You could run a 100W bulb for 10 hours to use the same amount of energy.

Jolaaled

tomstickland wrote: »

The most useful number is the total Kwh consumed.

ie: reset it and then use no7
it will toggle between the total Kwh (units) used and the time they have been used over.

THanks, Tom.
Do you reckon the the no7 option (yellow button on my unit) therefore toggles between total number of units used, as the time passes??... i thought it was just converting watts to kilowatts consumed at anyone one time-point.

tomstickland

Your units are all mixed up.

Watts and Kilowatts measure instantaneous consumption.
Kwh measures the total amount of energy used over a period of time.

If you want an analogy, think of filling a tank with fuel. Watts would be analgous to fuel flow rate in litres per second, and Kwh would be analgous to total amount of fuel in the tank.

tomstickland

7. Press KWH shows the energy consumption,
then press key to display the time (hour) and
active power for 1 second each
automatically.
KWH/Hour is a toggle function key, the
LCD will show the sequence of KWH #
Hour # KWH. Kilo-Watt-Hour (from 0.01
KWH to 999 KWH) is electronic energy.
Hour is the duration time after Power On
(ie from l minute ~ 9999 Hour).

This isn't ver clear, but you should be able to work it out by experimenting.
ie: reset unit, plug in a device.
Watch and see what happens. The hour display should crank up at a rate of 1 per hour (!) and the Kwh should gradually increased over time.

I think the button toggles between hours and Kwh.

Jolaaled

thanks, so much, Tom. yes..i've been confusing kilowatt and Kwh..i can see that now (not my strong point, science!).

ok..i've set the cooker timer for 10 mins and synchronised with the 'hours' button on the monitor.....

bated breath...