Clamp Style Smart Meters

jugular33

Are there any clamp style smart meters that are any good?
I don't want to necessarily install a permanent one.
Im with London power
Utility Warehouse say my energy usage is way too high for my house size and I need to find what's draining it.

gefnew

something like this may help.
Onzo Wireless Smart Energy Monitor Brand new.
Items for sale by tony_amt | eBay

EssexHebridean

First up - do the Meter Sanity Test - wording courtesy of @Gerry1:

"It's also worth doing a meter sanity test, especially if the meter is external to the property.  Do a blackout test: after dark, switch everything off at the consumer unit, watch the red light (marked 1000 Imp/kWh or similar) for five minutes and make sure it never flashes once.  Then switch everything on, especially the high power devices and make sure the LED flashes rapidly."

molerat

Energy companies come out with bold statements like that without a full knowledge of your circumstances.

What is your actual consumption in kWh per year ? - don't assume the figure the energy co quote you is anywhere near correct

You can usually find out the cause without using any gadgets - all it will tell you is whether you are using a lot of energy or not at a given moment in time and they are not actually that accurate.

EssexHebridean

In fairness we've used one of the clamp-on style monitors for years, and if set up accurately it does come pretty close to our costs - the issue is how accurately it CAN be set up - particularly with a multi-rate tariff. Ours at least can only have the clock set in 30 minute increments so it will never be entirely accurate. For me though, it gives a decent enough idea, and definitely focuses minds on things like not lingering longer than needed in the shower - never a bad thing!

victor2

jugular33 said:

Are there any clamp style smart meters that are any good?
I don't want to necessarily install a permanent one.
Im with London power
Utility Warehouse say my energy usage is way too high for my house size and I need to find what's draining it.

Just terminology, but  what you are referring to is a monitor, not a meter. Meters are used to record your usage for billing or charging purposes. A monitor will give you an indication of what is being used at a point in time or over a period in time.

But you don't initially need any kind of monitor to start looking into your usage. Look at your meter readings on your bills about a year ago and take a reading today. From that you can establish what your annual usage in kWh has actually been. Don't assume your supplier's forecast of annual usage is likely to be anywhere near accurate.

Do the meter sanity test mentioned above and take readings, say, daily for a few weeks to see what you are currently using. Unless you have electric heating,and if you use energy efficient lighting, your usage is likely to be fairly level throughout the year.

Once you've established what your typical daily usage is, you can look at what individual appliances are using the most electricity.

Do you have gas, and the issue is only electricity? Or if you don't have gas then clearly electricity usage will be much higher in the winter.

FreeBear

victor2 said:

jugular33 said:

Are there any clamp style smart meters that are any good?
I don't want to necessarily install a permanent one.
Im with London power
Utility Warehouse say my energy usage is way too high for my house size and I need to find what's draining it.

Just terminology, but  what you are referring to is a monitor, not a meter. Meters are used to record your usage for billing or charging purposes. A monitor will give you an indication of what is being used at a point in time or over a period in time.

And unless the monitor is also powered by the mains (or senses the mains voltage), it can only record the current. The actual power consumption will therefor only be an estimate - Close enough for most people, but shouldn't be relied upon to check the calibration of the (energy supplier's) meter.

I have an Peacefair PZEM-016 hooked up to my "smart" computer hub. It records voltage, current, and power, each logged every 60 seconds or so. Not a system that is suitable for everyone. An alternative would be the Peacefair PZEM-022 which has a little built-in display, and you can manually note the consumption.