Which OWL energy monitor

Tyler_Du

I'm looking to get an owl energy monitor, amazon has three, does anyone know the different between these 3 :-

British Gas New Energy OWL Monitor

Owl Cm119 Wireless Electricity Monitor

Owl CM119 CM 119 Energy Saving Wireless Power Electricity Smart Monitor Meter Eco Friendly

The first one is £22.50 the others are £29.99, does the BG one have the same functionality as the others ?

Swipe

They are the same model but they don't look like the older version of the owl with the humidistat

penrhyn

These are not the energy monitors that you are looking for.
The one BG are currently giving away free is the Minim.

http://www.britishgas.co.uk/energyoffers?WT.srch=1&WT.mc_id=e100104

If you don't fancy Energysmart and are over 70 you can get one for free:

https://www.britishgas.co.uk/productoffers
Enter the code EF3 in the box and off you go.

Tyler_Du

Swipe wrote: »

They are the same model but they don't look like the older version of the owl with the humidistat

Is the one with the humidistat better ?

cm233lh

It's a gimmick! It'll tell you how much energy you're using. So you go round the house and turn off all the lights.
Then next day you look at it and it tells you how much energy you're using. So you go round the house and turn off all the lights.
Either you could have done that anyway, or you get bored and don't bother looking at the monitor any more. 2 weeks entertainment at best. Either way, it will never recover its cost, let alone the CO2 produced in manufacturing it. Get a wii and the 2 weeks are at least more entertaining before the novelty wears off.

penrhyn

Hey! who turned out the lights?

Tyler_Du

cm233lh wrote: »

It's a gimmick! It'll tell you how much energy you're using. So you go round the house and turn off all the lights.
Then next day you look at it and it tells you how much energy you're using. So you go round the house and turn off all the lights.
Either you could have done that anyway, or you get bored and don't bother looking at the monitor any more. 2 weeks entertainment at best. Either way, it will never recover its cost, let alone the CO2 produced in manufacturing it. Get a wii and the 2 weeks are at least more entertaining before the novelty wears off.

I must admit that is the one concern I have with these devices, the fact that much like my Wii, they'll get used for a short period of time and then left sad and un-used. It would be nice to know how much (for example) lighting costs to run, we have ceiling lights, I've been turning the upstairs lights off when not in use, would be nice to say to my wife that its saving us £x a year by doing so. We're also carefull about leaving stuff on standby as well

mark55man

cm233lh wrote: »

It's a gimmick! It'll tell you how much energy you're using. So you go round the house and turn off all the lights.
Then next day you look at it and it tells you how much energy you're using. So you go round the house and turn off all the lights.
Either you could have done that anyway, or you get bored and don't bother looking at the monitor any more. 2 weeks entertainment at best. Either way, it will never recover its cost, let alone the CO2 produced in manufacturing it. Get a wii and the 2 weeks are at least more entertaining before the novelty wears off.

couldn't disagree more.

after I got the Owl - I focussed on energy reduction - and it helped me reduce my bill by 30% (consumption) = £150 (cash). would I have reduced anyway - YES - would ithave been by so much - NO (imho)

how it helps - Its just like a constant reminder of what's being used(should we need one - NO - do we need one YES). Its most useful at the end of the day to ensure we are at our agreed mimimum - eg only things we are happy to leave on are actually on. remember 1p an hour baseline drain is £100 a year

flippin36

Tyler_Durden_UK wrote: »

I must admit that is the one concern I have with these devices, the fact that much like my Wii, they'll get used for a short period of time and then left sad and un-used. It would be nice to know how much (for example) lighting costs to run, we have ceiling lights, I've been turning the upstairs lights off when not in use, would be nice to say to my wife that its saving us £x a year by doing so. We're also carefull about leaving stuff on standby as well

I have wanted one of these. I noticed there have been a few on our Freecycle group - though I haven't been lucky enough to be given one - but it did make me wonder why people were giving them away?

Swipe

Tyler_Durden_UK wrote: »

Is the one with the humidistat better ?

I wish the new one also had a humidistat but it doesn't but the new one is much better according to reviews as that older model has a few other missing features. I bought mine directly from Owl for £29 inc delivery. That way you are guaranteed the latest version.

penrhyn

Some public libraries are loaning out energy monitors, it would be worth checking in your area.

http://www.energysavingtrust.org.uk/cafe/Green-Communities/Get-inspired/Add-your-project/Energy-Monitor-Loan-Scheme

Matt Smith Ha!