Lidl Energy monitor in stock next week

Seaxwyn

Hi espresso, actually I think they're both useful and would buy the Lidl one myself if only there were a Lidl nearby.

But I think the electrisave would be useful in another way. If you had it permanently on display pride of place in your main room, you would get in the habit of checking it and be vigilant if it crept above a certain level. I'm going to keep an eye out for a cheaper electrisave (maybe ebay after Christmas?) as I would like this kind of permanent reminder.

ctm_2

Just got one of these lidl emergy monitors.

I've got to the point where I tell it how much a kwh costs but... My bill shows usage in units. Are these kwh's or not?

If they are, then they cost 12.94p, but the monitor only goes up to 9.999.

Have I got something wrong?

Cardew

ctm wrote:

Just got one of these lidl emergy monitors.

I've got to the point where I tell it how much a kwh costs but... My bill shows usage in units. Are these kwh's or not?

If they are, then they cost 12.94p, but the monitor only goes up to 9.999.

Have I got something wrong?

A unit is a kWh.

If the price only goes up to 9.999p, and your electricity costs 12.94p all you need to is enter the price as 6.47p and brush up on your 2 times table.


Once times 2 is 2,
Two times 2 is 4
six point four seven times 2 is 12.94 etc;)

All you really need to do is check how many kWh it uses over a period of time to get an indication of costs. e.g. my deep freeze uses 8.5kwh in a week.

P.S. Not all your electricity costs 12.94p surely - only the first units used in a quarter

Cardew

espresso wrote:

Fair enough if you can borrow one but they are defiantly not worth their ridiculously high purchase price. The Electrisave is simply does what your meter does and calculates the total cost based on the single rate programed unit cost, whereas the plug-in devices are much more useful and less green/gimmicky.

:rolleyes:

Totally agree.

How do you calculate with an Electrisave how much anything with a thermostat uses.

My freezer for example might use, say, 500watts when the compressor is running and the Electrisave will tell me it is using electricity at the rate of 5p an hour. However I know that from the plate on the machine or the handbook.

However the crucial cost indicator is how long in, say, a 24 hour period the compressor runs for and how long it is not running. Unless I stand by the freezer with a stop watch and listen for how long the compressor runs in a 24 hour period I have no idea how much it costs to run.

With the Lidl/Maplin meter you just plug in your freezer via the meter and come back 24 hours(or any period) later and it will display how many kWh it has used.

Almost all appliances that plug in have a thermostat so for them the Electrisave would be next to useless in calculating their overall efficiency.

For items such as lights you simply don't need any measuring device. If you can't work out that a 100 watt bulb uses - er let me think about it - something around 100 joules per second, joule = 9.48E-04 Btu or 1p an hour when electricity costs 10p/kWh

ctm_2

Cardew wrote:

A unit is a kWh.

If the price only goes up to 9.999p, and your electricity costs 12.94p all you need to is enter the price as 6.47p and brush up on your 2 times table.


Once times 2 is 2,
Two times 2 is 4
six point four seven times 2 is 12.94 etc;)

All you really need to do is check how many kWh it uses over a period of time to get an indication of costs. e.g. my deep freeze uses 8.5kwh in a week.

P.S. Not all your electricity costs 12.94p surely - only the first units used in a quarter

I was being silly and not fully reading the instructions. You can move the decimal point, so all is good.

I'm on a rubbish Southern Electric tarriff. Just moved in. Just figuring out who to move to, but from what my bill shows it is all 12.94p per unit. I can't find the actual costs anywhere on their website for the tarriff I am on.

molerat

espresso wrote:

Very useful device and they were only £4.99 when I bought one in July 04. Must be a supply and demand price increase .... :eek:

Got one from my local Lidl this morning. £6.99 on the POS and web site but scanned at £4.99. :T

nikongirl

molerat wrote:

Got one from my local Lidl this morning. £6.99 on the POS and web site but scanned at £4.99. :T

Mine didn't. With any luck it'll help pay for itself on the next bill. Thanks for the tip-off.

TimBuckTeeth

ctm wrote:

Just got one of these lidl emergy monitors.

I've got to the point where I tell it how much a kwh costs but... My bill shows usage in units. Are these kwh's or not?

If they are, then they cost 12.94p, but the monitor only goes up to 9.999.

Have I got something wrong?

Yes, units are kWh for electric.

I bought one a couple of years ago, and think you are supposed to enter 12.94p as 0.129 (ignoring the 0.04p) so that the total display is given in pounds rather than pence.

cardew wrote:

P.S. Not all your electricity costs 12.94p surely - only the first units used in a quarter

If you have a two rate (no standing charge tariff) then enter the lower rate 2 value in the meter, which should be around 10p/kWh (or will be more if you have economy 7).
The standing charge is hidden in the higher rate 1.

TimBuckTeeth

I have had one of the lidl plug in meters on my fridge since about July, wish I had recorded the date now.
It has used 231kWh (£23.10) and been on for 1104 hours (6.6 weeks) total.

Cardew

TimBuckTeeth wrote:

I have had one of the lidl plug in meters on my fridge since about July, wish I had recorded the date now.
It has used 231kWh (£23.10) and been on for 1104 hours (6.6 weeks) total.

You surely must have something wrong with your fridge. 1,832kWh per year
(£183) is crazy. Normal is 300-400kWh pa.

I would look at your door seal and/or the thermostat. Does it form ice at the back of the fridge? Or on the other hand does it not get cold enough - gas leak and compressor running all the time?

Either way it demonstrates the value of the monitor - unless the monitor itself is faulty