OWL electric monitor accuracy

pnickisson

I just purchased an OWL energy monitor. After 4 days the total KWH on the monitor is 35kwh the electric meter has recorded 90 KWH. This seems a big discrepancy. Has anyone had any issues with the accuracy of these monitors.

Went out this morning at 8:30 came back at 5:30 pm meter read 6 units OWL read 2.5 no one been in all day, in 2 bed detached bungalow loft insulated to 12"m double glazed - only things on standby are a Fridge/freezer (rated , house alarm, condensing boiler on standby from until 4pm when it fires up, everything else unplugged (6 units seems a lot for only 3 appliances).

Switched the electrics off at the consumer unit so no electric supplied to the property. Meter still flashed (its a digital one) every 8 seconds - so wondering if theres a problem with the meter.

Anyone got any suggestions/help would be appreciated.

regards

andyfuk

Difficult to say, but I know unless more than 1 amp is flowing, then the OWL meter has a low accuracy. The more current the more accurate it is (the accuracy can be found in the specification in the handbook) Mine displays a higher reading than it should: when I have 3 energy saving bulbs running in the lounge and nothing else in the house on they should be running at around 20W, but the meter displays over 100W. Switch a 2kW kettle on though and it reads 2kW. With nothing on, it reads zero.

Your's is a more interesting case: to be honest I wouldn't expect you to use even 2.5 units with nothing on in the house other than the fridge/ freezer/ combi, never mind 6! I have a 2 bed semi, and I don't think I use 2.5 in a day!

Would be worth getting it checked out, or make sure no one has left something on in the garage or elsewhere. You are looking at something running at roughly 600W if my maths is right. Has the oven been left on? Thats a classic one.

1carminestocky

I think a poster previously measured the accuracy of the CM119 model (the new one which records historical usage) against his meter over the period of IIRc a week and the OWL was inaccurate by under 10%. Not a scientific experiment, I know...

Alan_Vickers

I got my Owl CM119 0n 12th January and took the electricity meter reading at that time. I have been taking regular simultaneous readings since then.

From 12th January to 2nd March the electricity meter recorded that we haad used 396.2 kWh whereas the Owl recorded 415.19 kWh so it seeme to be reading about 4.8% high overall.

1carminestocky

Similar to the average car speedo, then? Have to say that's a very creditable performance IMO. Plus, if you are going to be using it to motivate you to save leccy then far better for it to over-egg the actual usage than the opposite.

penrhyn

Could OP confirm they have set the voltage on the Owl to 240 ish, I'm not sure what the new one defaults to, could be 110 which could explain the discrepancy.

Alan_Vickers

The instruction manual says that the default is 230V.

penrhyn

O well just a thought.

tonester

Just a thought but could you compensate for the reading by upping or lowering the money cost/rate.....
getting the total and dividing by that number...

sorry I,m not good at maths to say the least but if the rate of error is consistant it can be compensated for....

I think....

Alan_Vickers

The rate or error is not likely to be constant over the range of currents as the quoted accuracy of the Owl is:

Currents less than 1 amp - not specified
from 1 amp to 3 amps - better than 10%
From 3 amps to 71 amps - better then 5%