Electricty usage - understanding it via a gadget
Discussion
Hi
I'm not in the UK but in Sweden, but this should be fairly straightforward I hope.
My electricity bill is pretty huge at the moment and I'm trying to find ways to cut it down before I start exploring ways to do things cheaper in my house like geothermal heating and solar, I thought it best to actually ensure I can get my house operating at the lowest optimal kWh usage. Just for info, over winter months we are using nearly 4000 kWh per month for all of our electricity, heating and water heating as well as heating up my hot tub and the very rare sauna.
So, I thought on my journey to lower electricity bills the best thing to do would be to get a handle on our usage. I came across this https://sense.com/product.html but it seems geared to the US market, I know other devices/systems exist in Europe and I guess that is what I'm asking for here, recommendations of the best energy monitoring solution?
Thanks
I'm not in the UK but in Sweden, but this should be fairly straightforward I hope.
My electricity bill is pretty huge at the moment and I'm trying to find ways to cut it down before I start exploring ways to do things cheaper in my house like geothermal heating and solar, I thought it best to actually ensure I can get my house operating at the lowest optimal kWh usage. Just for info, over winter months we are using nearly 4000 kWh per month for all of our electricity, heating and water heating as well as heating up my hot tub and the very rare sauna.
So, I thought on my journey to lower electricity bills the best thing to do would be to get a handle on our usage. I came across this https://sense.com/product.html but it seems geared to the US market, I know other devices/systems exist in Europe and I guess that is what I'm asking for here, recommendations of the best energy monitoring solution?
Thanks
Honestly, I'd just use a calculator. Cost per kwh X hot tub/sauna kw rating will very likely prove that's where the money is going.
Using electricity for heating anything is 100% efficient unlike a gas boiler for example, but it's seriously expensive as it requires so much energy.
Remove electrical heating from the equation, change to led lighting, and your bills will be tiny.
If you can take advantage of geothermal energy for room, water and hot tub heating you're laughing.
Using electricity for heating anything is 100% efficient unlike a gas boiler for example, but it's seriously expensive as it requires so much energy.
Remove electrical heating from the equation, change to led lighting, and your bills will be tiny.
If you can take advantage of geothermal energy for room, water and hot tub heating you're laughing.
That's huge!
I'd get an energy monitor if possible and see if you can get an off-peak tariff (if these exist in Sweden). Use your data, run the numbers for a typical month and see if you'll save.
Ideally you'd run all your expensive devices during the low-tariff period (midnight to 7am for example) and then maintain a relatively low consumption in the day.
I'd get an energy monitor if possible and see if you can get an off-peak tariff (if these exist in Sweden). Use your data, run the numbers for a typical month and see if you'll save.
Ideally you'd run all your expensive devices during the low-tariff period (midnight to 7am for example) and then maintain a relatively low consumption in the day.
Heat pump(s) may be part of the answer.
Problem is the capital cost v the savings.
Anywhere without mains gas (in the UK about a third of the price of electricity), often means a heat pump is the most cost effective way to heat water.
First of all you need an idea where all the power is going, 4000kWhrs a month is a lot.
Problem is the capital cost v the savings.
Anywhere without mains gas (in the UK about a third of the price of electricity), often means a heat pump is the most cost effective way to heat water.
First of all you need an idea where all the power is going, 4000kWhrs a month is a lot.
Hi all,
It is expensive and is costing me near £400 per month, this electricity bill is probably a little higher as my wife is at home at the moment with our first child so there are various extra usages happening such as laundry, TV, lighting being used which might not otherwise.
Even so, I'm on a mission to try and get this down as much as possible.
I think I'm paying a good rate for my electric as I managed to get on friends and family deal with a friend who work for an electric company, the KWH price we managed to lock in on a fixed 3 year deal as it was cheaper than anything on the comparison sites here.
I have quotes for geothermal heating, which is x3 more efficient than the heating I have right now, electric radiators in each room. The house is just over 200sqm
So, to start with I want to identify the main culprits aside from the hot tub and sauna. So that's why I'm looking into these smart meters, so any other suggestions would be very much welcome.
It is expensive and is costing me near £400 per month, this electricity bill is probably a little higher as my wife is at home at the moment with our first child so there are various extra usages happening such as laundry, TV, lighting being used which might not otherwise.
Even so, I'm on a mission to try and get this down as much as possible.
I think I'm paying a good rate for my electric as I managed to get on friends and family deal with a friend who work for an electric company, the KWH price we managed to lock in on a fixed 3 year deal as it was cheaper than anything on the comparison sites here.
I have quotes for geothermal heating, which is x3 more efficient than the heating I have right now, electric radiators in each room. The house is just over 200sqm
So, to start with I want to identify the main culprits aside from the hot tub and sauna. So that's why I'm looking into these smart meters, so any other suggestions would be very much welcome.
Edited by Oceanic on Friday 9th February 12:25
I use one of these
https://www.amazon.co.uk/geo-Minim-Electricity-Ene...
Simple to install , It gives readouts in Kw actual usage, or accumulative usage . and once programed with tariffs , cost per hour/day/month .
It will soon show you where your power is going
https://www.amazon.co.uk/geo-Minim-Electricity-Ene...
Simple to install , It gives readouts in Kw actual usage, or accumulative usage . and once programed with tariffs , cost per hour/day/month .
It will soon show you where your power is going
MXRod said:
I use one of these
https://www.amazon.co.uk/geo-Minim-Electricity-Ene...
Simple to install , It gives readouts in Kw actual usage, or accumulative usage . and once programed with tariffs , cost per hour/day/month .
It will soon show you where your power is going
Does it tell you what actual devices are chewing up the electricity usage, or is just an overall consumption that it offers?https://www.amazon.co.uk/geo-Minim-Electricity-Ene...
Simple to install , It gives readouts in Kw actual usage, or accumulative usage . and once programed with tariffs , cost per hour/day/month .
It will soon show you where your power is going
Evanivitch said:
You'd need a monitoring device for each device you need to monitor.
Otherwise you just go around switching things off to see what difference they make. However I suspect the hot tub isn't always drawing power.
Is your hot tub well insulated?
Yeah, I took a look at the hot-tub when we bought this place last year and it's relatively new, there appears to be quite a lot of insulation in there. I think there might be more I can do with the timing settings, but that is a trade off between maintaining temp and heating.Otherwise you just go around switching things off to see what difference they make. However I suspect the hot tub isn't always drawing power.
Is your hot tub well insulated?
Oceanic said:
Does it tell you what actual devices are chewing up the electricity usage, or is just an overall consumption that it offers?
No , just overall , but just watching when you plug in the kettle, switch on the tumble dryer , etc will tell you where the power is going One unit that interested me was the A/C , heart pump in our bedroom .
In heating mode It gives out around 2,5 kw in heat but the monitor shows me it only consumes around 1kw electricity .
With no major appliances in use , things like fridges (4 in our house ), electronics ,central heating pump , consume around 300/400w ph
So before the kettle goes on , or dinner goes in the oven , our usage is about 8/10 KW per day just keeping the house ticking over .
Oceanic said:
Evanivitch said:
You'd need a monitoring device for each device you need to monitor.
Otherwise you just go around switching things off to see what difference they make. However I suspect the hot tub isn't always drawing power.
Is your hot tub well insulated?
Yeah, I took a look at the hot-tub when we bought this place last year and it's relatively new, there appears to be quite a lot of insulation in there. I think there might be more I can do with the timing settings, but that is a trade off between maintaining temp and heating.Otherwise you just go around switching things off to see what difference they make. However I suspect the hot tub isn't always drawing power.
Is your hot tub well insulated?
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