Energy monitoring plug has just arrived - now what?

tux900

dunstonh said:

The monitoring side of the plug is a pain doesn't refresh in real-time.  You have to flit between the pages on the app and back again to see the current power use refreshed.

If you've got an Apple device then I'd recommend installing the free 'Watt' app which can interrogate the Tado smart plugs. It's a better app than TP-Link's own in many ways, one of which is real-time (well, automatically updating every 10s) power readings. You can also enter the price per kWh so it'll give its statistical output, annual extrapolations etc in pounds and pence too.

Unfortunately it still can't reset stats - it seems to be a plug firmware limitation.

jvjack

Loving mine too. Tapo p110. Got few days ago.
Fridge is the one for me so far.  0.7kw each day.  But my wifi stuggled with connection to the fridge and switched off the plug as its in a pantry and behind living room wall and door.
So got 5 meter extention wifi router lead for £2.15 off ebay and now constant connection.

High Speed RJ11 Cable ADSL 2+/Fibre BT/EE/TalkTalk Broadband 1m/2m/3m/4m/5m/10m+ 754311476800 | eBay

Shedman

tux900 said:

dunstonh said:

The monitoring side of the plug is a pain doesn't refresh in real-time.  You have to flit between the pages on the app and back again to see the current power use refreshed.

If you've got an Apple device then I'd recommend installing the free 'Watt' app which can interrogate the Tado smart plugs. It's a better app than TP-Link's own in many ways, one of which is real-time (well, automatically updating every 10s) power readings. You can also enter the price per kWh so it'll give its statistical output, annual extrapolations etc in pounds and pence too.

Unfortunately it still can't reset stats - it seems to be a plug firmware limitation.

Thats odd as the Watt app was able to reset my TPLink Kasa KP115 and HS110.  You select the two sliding bar icon on the top left of the device home screen and then on the next page that appears scroll down and there's an option to reset the stats.  Haven't got any of the Tapo ones so maybe it is a firmware restriction on those (or the guy that programmed the Watt app could find a work around) but would seem odd 

tpeppers

I have thought about getting one of these, but figured it might not actually be that helpful. For example, I'd be interested to know how much it costs to run the fridge, but what would I do with that information? It's not like I could use the fridge differently.

I'd be interested to hear if anyone has actually benefitted from using these smart plugs (I have heard about the energy consumption of some microwaves on standby, for example) - then I might take the plunge. Especially since I already have a smart meter which gives pretty good readings for how much running the kettle or oven costs, for example. 

tux900

Shedman said:

Thats odd as the Watt app was able to reset my TPLink Kasa KP115 and HS110.  You select the two sliding bar icon on the top left of the device home screen and then on the next page that appears scroll down and there's an option to reset the stats.  Haven't got any of the Tapo ones so maybe it is a firmware restriction on those (or the guy that programmed the Watt app could find a work around) but would seem odd 

Yeah unfortunately the P110 is explicitly called out in the app as not being resetable. Whilst visually and functionally similar I think the Kasa's and Tapo's are otherwise quite different product lines on the software side which is a shame as resetting stats seems like an obvious feature many people might want!

tux900

tpeppers said:

I have thought about getting one of these, but figured it might not actually be that helpful. For example, I'd be interested to know how much it costs to run the fridge, but what would I do with that information? It's not like I could use the fridge differently.

I'd be interested to hear if anyone has actually benefitted from using these smart plugs (I have heard about the energy consumption of some microwaves on standby, for example) - then I might take the plunge. Especially since I already have a smart meter which gives pretty good readings for how much running the kettle or oven costs, for example. 

In our case we've got a 'spare' fridge-freezer that was intended only to be used at Christmas but has been on all year and I'd like to quantify exactly how much it's costing us. There are a few other things that I'd like to investigate for possible usage alterations or replacements e.g. a server running 24/7 monitoring CCTV cameras that a Pi-based replacement might prove cost effective for.

ChasingtheWelshdream

We don’t yet have a smart meter, so what I hope to find is how much each thing costs, to see if we can make small changes.

Eg, our laptops are generally plugged in and charging all day (wfh), our phone batteries (ancient phones) need charging 2-3 times a day so we tend to leave them plugged in when in the house. What difference will little changes make to our overall usage?How much does our dehumidifier cost in the winter? How much does each dishwasher load cost us? The difference between a 30-40 degree wash.

Those kind of things where we probably can make little behaviour changes.

jvjack

They will make little behaviour changes.
Just tested my tapo on dishwasher. Was 1.2 kw for the wash. So lets say 60 pence in october to do that wash.
I could very easily have left it for 3/4 days and filled it up more. 
Edit: Thinking now i could swill a fey items instead  leaving more room in the dishwasher. So instead of 2 washes a week only one. Saving 60p a week.

dunstonh

tux900 said:

dunstonh said:

The monitoring side of the plug is a pain doesn't refresh in real-time.  You have to flit between the pages on the app and back again to see the current power use refreshed.

If you've got an Apple device then I'd recommend installing the free 'Watt' app which can interrogate the Tado smart plugs. It's a better app than TP-Link's own in many ways, one of which is real-time (well, automatically updating every 10s) power readings. You can also enter the price per kWh so it'll give its statistical output, annual extrapolations etc in pounds and pence too.

Unfortunately it still can't reset stats - it seems to be a plug firmware limitation.

Phone is android but tablet is apple. So, I will try that thank you.   

Shedman

tpeppers said:

I have thought about getting one of these, but figured it might not actually be that helpful. For example, I'd be interested to know how much it costs to run the fridge, but what would I do with that information? It's not like I could use the fridge differently.

I'd be interested to hear if anyone has actually benefitted from using these smart plugs (I have heard about the energy consumption of some microwaves on standby, for example) - then I might take the plunge. Especially since I already have a smart meter which gives pretty good readings for how much running the kettle or oven costs, for example. 

Its a gadget...does it have to have a purpose 😅.

On a more serious note I have certainly found mine useful in determining usage (or in some cases the surprisingly low usage) of quite a few of my electrical appliance and gizmos.  I have made changes in usage of various items (eg AV amp, Freeview HD box, microwave) that were previously left on standby and we also have an extra chest freezer that I can, as I now know the consumption and cost more accurately, take a view on whether the money saved by buying stuff when there's an offer on or stocking up on chicken breasts when the price was forecast to rocket offsets the cost of having the freezer on.  I have also stopped turning off certain gadgets that provide a 'quality of life' aspect (eg Alexas) that I had been, as it turns out the cost is not that significant vs the benefit derived (in my view).