Looking for best energy monitor recommendations please?

merrylegs61

Flat is 2 bed, all electric. Sole occupant. Bills are huge. Top floor. Since moving here, bills are higher than total gas and electric for previous 3 bed, 3 floor house. It's hideous. Switched supplier already. Freeze most of winter. Suspect immerser and/but want to see.

Also, I believe there is gas somewhere in the building on below floor. Current radiators only a few years old. Is it just (hah!) a case of having supply extended and boiler out in i.e. the same rads.can be used?
Thank you 

Robin9

By all electric do you mean storage rads, panel heaters   ……     tariff E7 or single rate …………….  don't forget electric showers.
The easiest monitor is your meter - read it daily and find out where the energy goes.
Is the I/H on a timer ? 

matelodave

If your radiators are using hot water fed from a flow boiler (tell us what labels and things are written on the boiler unit) then you've probably got the the most expensive heating system known to man (or woman)

As Robin says we need a bit more info, type of rads, type of boiler, have you got a hot water tank, electric shower?, what tariff etc.

There may be an opportunity to get a gas boiler connected to your existing hot water rads (if that's what they are) but you'd need to get proper quotes from an heating engineer regarding what is possible and also quotes to get the gas extended (assuming that your lease allows it)

Gerry1

You probably already have a good energy monitor: it's the flashing red light on your meter, labelled 1000 Imp/kWh or similar.  1000 flashes (impulses) and you've burned a kWh.  Do you know how much each kWh is costing you?

If you want a stand alone device there are basically two types.

• One type has a sensor that's placed over the flashing red light.  Its advantage is that it's usually the most accurate because it won't be confused by voltage variations, but on its own it can't spot a rogue meter.
• The other type has a sensor that's clipped over one of the output cables.  It's reasonably accurate but can't allow for voltage fluctuations.  However, it can alert you to a rogue meter because it's independent.

Otherwise it's just a case of comparing the bells and whistles of each device.

jbuchanangb

I have an OWL CM119 which has a clip over a cable near the meter, and wireless link to the indoor display.
The closest to it that I can see on the market is 

Efergy Technologies ELITE CLASSIC 4.0 In-Home Energy Monitor

Talldave

I like the Geo Minim, available in both LED and clip-on types, the latter is much cheaper.  There are lots on ebay.  I had the LED version, but moved to a house with a high-tech rotating disc meter with twiddly dials, so picked up an Onzo clip-on monitor for a tenner on ebay!

matelodave

Mine is an Efergy Engage - clips onto the incoming cable and sends the data back to a server so I can view it on line and download the data as Excel spreadsheet documents so lots more info than just a monitor - https://engage.efergy.com/content/get-products

It gives me the sort of info that a smart meter should do if they had designed them properly and not treated people like idiots

merrylegs61

Thank you for the replies. Have given me plenty to look at and consider.

Further info - no, not storage heaters - wet radiators. Relatively new - 3 years ish - as are all parts/tanks etc. Separate central heating and hot water systems. New meter within past year. Not economy 7. NOT an electric shower. It was not me who put any of it in. Cooking is by electric as well but am not exactly cordon bleu - more likely to be zapped in a microwave. And I own the flat. It is an old, freezing cold building with ill-fitting, sash windows and is conservation area so changes are limited. And I have just switched supplier from Scottish Hydro to EDF.

Heating - boiler is an EHC Energy Compact 12Kw.  Currently set at around 62 degrees. The heating is only ever on in very cold weather and I do my best to limit it to roughly half an hour morning and one hour evening. (I have a large blanket and a portable gas fire. Winters are not pleasant.) 

Huge hot water tank, about 5'5 tall. It is a Joule High Efficient Solar Cylinder. It has 2 immersers. I am told it has 2 separate tanks, upper and lower. I have tried only switching on one of the immersers but water doesn't get very hot that way. Immersers are not on any kind of switch/timer and I have to put them on every time I want a shower. If there's a way round this, a better way to manage it, I'd really appreciate learning it? Or even an idea of how long really, it takes to heat enough water for a hot shower?

 Also a strange very small separate tank that am told is some kind of overflow for the heating system? It is a Zilio Industries Aquasystem Multifunctional tank. 

I was conned by talk of great water tank, double lined, economy, doesn't need jacket/insulation, all new etc. etc. when I viewed. Was originally Economy 10. Bills were scarily high and I was coming home from work in winter, to sit in coat and sometimes, gloves and hat with hot water bottle, waiting for cheap time to give the flat a blast and stop my breath freezing in my mouth! I was ill, desperate and a fool when I bought the place. Please don't tell me off - it depresses me enough as it is. At one point I was paying almost £200 a month. 

Gerry1

merrylegs61 said:

Further info - no, not storage heaters - wet radiators.

AAAaaaaarrrgggghhh !  Forget the energy monitor, you have the worst possible system imaginable.  Move heaven and earth to get gas installed and get a gas boiler.  If that's utterly impossible, then it's well insulated fan assisted storage radiators such as Dimplex Quantum on an E7 tariff, with strict instructions to programme them correctly and seldom if ever use the peak rate boost in the afternoon / evening.

In the meantime, switch to the cheapest single rate tariff you can find, perhaps Symbio (but read the forum reviews), Neon Reef etc.  You probably don't need to change the meter to do that. 

https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/Global/CitizensAdvice/Energy/Energy Consultation responses/Restricted Meter Good Practice Guide.pdf

merrylegs61

Oh God. Why is it so bad and meantime, how can i mitigate it? What's the best way to use/control it? My budget is nil at present. I want to get out of the flat ASAP so meantime, how can i control/use it?

matelodave

As both I and Gerry have said, an electric flow boiler is possible the worst sort of heating possible - sometimes the boiler will be feed the hot water tank as well as heating, or it will be heating only. You really need to understand how the system is configured to be able to use if effectively and economically, Sometimes the tank can be well oversized and used like a thermal store which means that the tank gets heated by the flow boiler, mainly during off peak periods and then the heat in the stored hot water is transferred to the heating and hot water circuits (you'd normally have an E7 or E10 or other complex tariff for this)

TBH if you've got an immersion heater then it's probably the best way to heat your hot water as the elements are actually inside the tank. If you are on a single rate tariff then it doesn't make any difference when you heat your hot water. It will take around 2.5 hours (8kwh) to heat an average 150l hot water tank although try only having it on for about 2-3 hours a day to see if you get enough and be frugal with your consumption - don't waste it (even at Symbio prices it will cost £1 to heat it - more if you are with someone else). If your tank has been configured as a thermal store then it needs to be fully heated to get maximum heat stored during off peak periods to reduce your heating requirements during peak times. Hopefully your consumption will reduce dramatically during the summer but don't be tempted to take any accrued credit - you'll need it for next winter

If you are on an E7 or E10 tariff then only heat your hot water during the off peak period(s) 

Read your meters yourself, frequently, ideally weekly and keep a spreadsheet so you can see how much you are using and when you are using it, only then can you work out the best way to reduce your costs



As we've said, gas is the way to go if you can (heating 150 litres of water would only cost around 20p)