Has an energy monitor really changed your behaviour?

kamzy

Basically my British Gas Websaver 3 deal ends this month, and I will revert back to the standard tariff. Been looking on their site at both the Onlinesaver 2 which is 4% off their standard prices for duel fuel and their Websaver 8 which is basically what I have but called Websaver 8 compared to Websaver 3! The Websaver seems to be better as its 6% cheaper than the standard tariff, but I just want to know have people really changed how they use their electricity to warrant going for the online saver with energy smart?

Please share your thoughts

Joyful

I have been trying for the last few years to be more energy concious and was on energy smart for a couple of months till my fixed price ended. I thought it was really good to get the info from the Energy smart but I chose the Websaver instead of the online saver and input my reads instead to http://smartmeter.ukpower.co.uk/.


I had an energy monitor before this and it certainly helped me reduce even further. Simple things like knowing that I had left something on and reducing the temp of my washing machine. When I could see the money used falling on the monitor it gave me a kick.

I would say the decision should be made on how much you would save on either tariff knowing you can get an energy monitor for around £30.

Poosmate

Personally, I see these energy monitor things as "wanna have" toys rather than a necessary tool. I have thought about getting one myself but know the novelty would soon wear off and even the necessity (should you really feel the absolute "need" for one) once you are educated into the pros and cons of switching stuff off.

To me, it's common sense, if your electric bills are high, don't leave lights and gadgets on! It doesn't take long to get into the habit of turning things off and once you're in that mindset (that leaving things on is a waste) it's hard not to turn them off when not in use.

I guess I just think, if you can't be @rsed to turn a light off when you leave a room, will you be @rsed to go check a monitor?

Having dismissed them completely, for me anyway, I could see a positive side to them though. Teenagers (thinking of my nephews and mate's kids) are terribly wasteful with electric. If parents were having problems getting their kids (or each other) on board with becoming less wastefull, it could be used as an educating tool for them and maybe as a warning that "if things aren't switched off they'll be confiscated" in order to make "kids" (including the adult ones) more responsible for the energy they use.

That's my thoughts anyway.

Poo

Plushchris

My experience with an energy monitor was short lived, had it plugged in for about a month and as its just me and the OH in a fairly small flat our usage is low anyway and I couldnt really make a lot of difference.

The only thing it did highlight was how much the tumble drier costs to run, so we may have cut down how much we use that (but again, not a great deal as we didnt use it a lot in the first place)

Personally I'm glad I didnt pay for a monitor as I think it would have been a bit of a waste of money, my advice would be to see if you can get a free one from somewhere (although not by signing up to a more expensive tariff) or borrow one from a library.

Probably be more use for a family with a higher usage though..

rhiwfield

We've used an owl wireless energy monitor to check consumption rates as well as plug in monitors to check power drawn by individual appliances. That, and keeping a daily record of kWh used, gave us the ability to make informed decisions on where we could save (mix of behaviour change and appliance updates). That led to a 3500 kWh annual reduction in leccy used. The plug in monitor is used to test new appliances (eg a DAB radio yesterday). We still record daily usage as we invested in solar pv and keen to see the difference it makes

Currently we have 2 wireless monitors giving us instant feedback on our solar arrays, which look to be reducing net use by a further 1700 kWh pa. We are due a gift of a third monitor that will show net generation/grid draw, as we find that we are now pacing electricity use to generation timing.

If all this sounds a bit geekish, you'd probably be right!

alleycat`

In a word "no".

In the end It didn't tell me anything i didn't already know anyway - which was that (in our house) electric oven, tumble dryer and electric shower draw the most power.

A gimmick device that has probably wasted more power / pollution in manufacture than it will ever get back in life is my considered opinion.

penrhyn

Read your meters weekly and use https://www.imeasure.org.uk to input your data.
You'll know exactly what you have spend and not something thats 20% inaccurate, and guess what you can also use it for gas.

moonrakerz

rhiwfield wrote: »

The plug in monitor is used to test new appliances (eg a DAB radio yesterday).

It will be hopelessly inaccurate on something like that ! Work out an accurate figure from the hand book.

Marcusp

I have one from Eon sitting next to my computer monitor, I go downstairs, put the kettle on and come back upstairs to my computer. I can see when the kettle switches off so I shout downstairs to my wife the kettles boiled make coffee.

Wonderful thing.

Marcus

Cardew

Totally agree with the 'sceptics' above.

A 15watt lamp uses - errr - 15watts.

Most appliances that use lots of power have variable consumption as they have thermostatic control.

What is the point of the monitor registering the consumption of Fridge, freezer, Washing machine, dryer, cooker, immersion heater, fan heaters, etc etc. The important issue is for how long they consume power before the thermostat switches off the power.

e.g. Switch on your fridge or freezer and most of the time your monitor will tell you it is using no power at all(so £zero a month) - and it isn't because the compressor isn't running. However when the compressor is running your monitor will indicate it is costing, say, £15 a month.

Even worse is your immersion heater, that will cause the monitor to show £267 a month!!!(or nothing!!)

Marcusp

My wife has a bad habit of leaving lights on, especially in the kitchen, also the extractor fan. I can tell when they are on so when she brings me up my cup of coffee then goes to her bed I know if they have been left on. I keep telling her to go back downstairs and turn them off but I end up going downstairs and turning them off myself.

She threatened to throw the monitor in the bin so I might have to hide it somewhere when I am not at my computer.