Electricity consumption monitor - best option
Discussion
Sorry if this has been covered before but for some reason I can’t fathom why we are cracking through 12,000kwh pa electricity.
Detached house. 2 teenage kids with all the tech. No gas, oil heating so it’s not that.
Really need to get to the bottom of where it’s all going.
Can anyone recommend the best simple to use clamp on consumption meter so that I can try to track down whats what.
Thank you in advance
Detached house. 2 teenage kids with all the tech. No gas, oil heating so it’s not that.
Really need to get to the bottom of where it’s all going.
Can anyone recommend the best simple to use clamp on consumption meter so that I can try to track down whats what.
Thank you in advance
Edited by siheb on Saturday 10th September 23:54
Was given a Owl energy monitor some years ago. Great for watching energy consumption in real time highlights when daughters have left things on in bedrooms etc .And has given me ability to check where the powers being used hence all lighting now LED including tubes in kitchen and garage.out side light are now LEd surprised how much you can wipe off base level consumption just by simply things.
E.On Next recently fitted a Smart meter for us.
Everything suddenly becomes startlingly obvious. Green goes to Amber when you switch on the Nespresso machine, toaster etc. our daily bill in summer including a couple of showers was £2. But the oven when entertaining quickly pushed it to £3.
That was August, having the heating on in December with the new tariff is going to look horrific.
Everything suddenly becomes startlingly obvious. Green goes to Amber when you switch on the Nespresso machine, toaster etc. our daily bill in summer including a couple of showers was £2. But the oven when entertaining quickly pushed it to £3.
That was August, having the heating on in December with the new tariff is going to look horrific.
I bought one of these
https://geotogether.com/product/minim/
Simple to install and good for tracking usage , allowed me to find out my emersion heater was on when it was supposed to be off and isolated and costing a fortune
https://geotogether.com/product/minim/
Simple to install and good for tracking usage , allowed me to find out my emersion heater was on when it was supposed to be off and isolated and costing a fortune
I recently bought one of these https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B085S7Q1T4/ref... and went around the house and monitored stuff over a period of time and recorded the data in spreadsheet.
Some stuff is easier to do than others. I left the main oven connected for a week so I could get a good estimate of usage but my office kit was only connected for a day. You will soon identify big hitters.
My oven is averaging, £30PM, Fridge: £11, Office PC: £16. This is from a total monthly spend of £215 of which the car accounts for £60.
If discovered my two power amps for my Hi-Fi were costing £1.30 per day just being in standby.
Some stuff is easier to do than others. I left the main oven connected for a week so I could get a good estimate of usage but my office kit was only connected for a day. You will soon identify big hitters.
My oven is averaging, £30PM, Fridge: £11, Office PC: £16. This is from a total monthly spend of £215 of which the car accounts for £60.
If discovered my two power amps for my Hi-Fi were costing £1.30 per day just being in standby.
frank hovis said:
I bought one of these
https://geotogether.com/product/minim/
Simple to install and good for tracking usage , allowed me to find out my emersion heater was on when it was supposed to be off and isolated and costing a fortune
When did you buy that? I bought one about 7 years ago but wanted the one with app connectivity and they said they were no longer continuing them? https://geotogether.com/product/minim/
Simple to install and good for tracking usage , allowed me to find out my emersion heater was on when it was supposed to be off and isolated and costing a fortune
Start by reading the meter daily for a while.
Or even a couple of times in one day.
I have one of those £15 plug-in monitors, it's useful for settling debates about fridges, TVs and stuff on standby.
If you knock up a spreadsheet of everything that's on, for how long and its wattage, you should get some idea.
Generally, heating elements are the main villains, so immersion, tumble drier, washing machine......
My PC was quite bad, about 40W 24/7 if not shut down.
Our old fridge got inefficient....
As a background point, we've averaged 3000kWh/yr for the last 3 years.
2 fridges, freezer, electric oven, dishwasher, frugal use of tumble drier, 2 people in a 4 bed house mostly.
Most lights LED, gas hob and HW.
We do use an electric heated towel rail sometimes, and sometimes a dehumidifier.
We leave TV and humax box on standby, always lots of phones/tablets etc on charge.
So if you're using >10k kWhr/yr, there's a big difference to be found, like the immersion, which might be losing a lot of heat?
Or even a couple of times in one day.
I have one of those £15 plug-in monitors, it's useful for settling debates about fridges, TVs and stuff on standby.
If you knock up a spreadsheet of everything that's on, for how long and its wattage, you should get some idea.
Generally, heating elements are the main villains, so immersion, tumble drier, washing machine......
My PC was quite bad, about 40W 24/7 if not shut down.
Our old fridge got inefficient....
As a background point, we've averaged 3000kWh/yr for the last 3 years.
2 fridges, freezer, electric oven, dishwasher, frugal use of tumble drier, 2 people in a 4 bed house mostly.
Most lights LED, gas hob and HW.
We do use an electric heated towel rail sometimes, and sometimes a dehumidifier.
We leave TV and humax box on standby, always lots of phones/tablets etc on charge.
So if you're using >10k kWhr/yr, there's a big difference to be found, like the immersion, which might be losing a lot of heat?
At least the immersion would kick on and off as the thermostat kicks in, so maybe not on 3kw for 5 years solid.
Been making good use of my new smart meter over the last few weeks and found a few things I hadn't realised were taking much power, also surprised how little the washing machine uses on a cold cycle (about 0.1kwh).
Prior to getting the meter I'd looked back through the last year's bills and worked out we're at 3,250kwh per year electricity and 12000kwh for gas. Fairly typical it seems (4 bed detached, 1970s build but much extra insulation). Even so that 8kwh per day we were at last summer has been cut down to just over 4kwh per day mainly by turning stuff off that isn't being used rather than left in 'standby' (often not proper standby as it turns out for some gear). I know it'll go up in winter, but hopefully not up to last year's 9.5kwh daily use.
The mention of the PC further back is a sore point: I've cut down on everything within reason and got our base load down to under 70 watts at night (except when the fridge or freezer kick in). However my son has a gaming PC, that I built for him and that takes more power than the rest of the house. Wasn't so bad when it was only evenings and weekends, but he is 'between jobs' at the moment so it's getting more use than usual...
Been making good use of my new smart meter over the last few weeks and found a few things I hadn't realised were taking much power, also surprised how little the washing machine uses on a cold cycle (about 0.1kwh).
Prior to getting the meter I'd looked back through the last year's bills and worked out we're at 3,250kwh per year electricity and 12000kwh for gas. Fairly typical it seems (4 bed detached, 1970s build but much extra insulation). Even so that 8kwh per day we were at last summer has been cut down to just over 4kwh per day mainly by turning stuff off that isn't being used rather than left in 'standby' (often not proper standby as it turns out for some gear). I know it'll go up in winter, but hopefully not up to last year's 9.5kwh daily use.
The mention of the PC further back is a sore point: I've cut down on everything within reason and got our base load down to under 70 watts at night (except when the fridge or freezer kick in). However my son has a gaming PC, that I built for him and that takes more power than the rest of the house. Wasn't so bad when it was only evenings and weekends, but he is 'between jobs' at the moment so it's getting more use than usual...
OldSkoolRS said:
However my son has a gaming PC, that I built for him and that takes more power than the rest of the house. Wasn't so bad when it was only evenings and weekends, but he is 'between jobs' at the moment so it's getting more use than usual...
Check the BIOS has any all core turbo options disabled - makes little difference to game experience, but that last 5% of performance takes rather more than 5% more power.Similarly if it's an Nvidia GPU, check NVIDIA 3D Settings > Power Management Mode > is set to "Normal".
Imasurv said:
I’ve always wondered why our electricity use was high at 10000kwh/yr for a large 3 bed detached, no kids, no tv on 24/7 etc etc, just read this thread and though I’d check the immersion heater - 3kw and it was on and has been on for probably 5 years….
It would be interesting to know what it actually uses.It will do 3kW until the thermostat cuts out, then heat is lost until the thermostat cuts in again.
How much heat does a well insulated tank lose these days?
OutInTheShed said:
Imasurv said:
I’ve always wondered why our electricity use was high at 10000kwh/yr for a large 3 bed detached, no kids, no tv on 24/7 etc etc, just read this thread and though I’d check the immersion heater - 3kw and it was on and has been on for probably 5 years….
It would be interesting to know what it actually uses.It will do 3kW until the thermostat cuts out, then heat is lost until the thermostat cuts in again.
How much heat does a well insulated tank lose these days?
xeny said:
Check the BIOS has any all core turbo options disabled - makes little difference to game experience, but that last 5% of performance takes rather more than 5% more power.
Similarly if it's an Nvidia GPU, check NVIDIA 3D Settings > Power Management Mode > is set to "Normal".
Thanks for the tip...whether I'll get him to let me access it is another matter thesedays. Similarly if it's an Nvidia GPU, check NVIDIA 3D Settings > Power Management Mode > is set to "Normal".
He wanted to upgrade the graphics card but they were out of stock for ages due to chip shortages. I said he can buy a new one when he gets another job. 
I have one of these. https://shop.glowmarkt.com/
You need a Smart meter for it to connect to.
App on my phone so easy to monitor what's on or off.
Still 6000 a year and trying to switch off just about everything! Just 2 in a 4 bed house. OK lots of tech...CCTV, Ring doorbells and cameras, Hive hearing
Using Smart plugs on timers, Hue lights on sensors. I need to try much harder
Our electric range cooker eats kWh for every meal!!
Garage 24/7 25.0
Office Main 45.0
Alarms 20.0
Ring Doorbell 5.0
Ring Doorbell 5.0
Ring Camera 5.0
Ring Camera 5.0
Hive Camera 5.0
Radio Alarm 5.0
Cooker 5.0
Microwave 5.0
Echo 2 Bathroom 1.5
Echo 2 En Suite 1.5
Echo Guest Off
Echo 3 Kitchen 1.7
Echo 8 Garden Room 6.7 Timed
Echo 8 Lounge 6.7 Timed
Echo7 Sitting Room 6.0 Timed
Echo Office 5.0
Echo Bedroom 5.0
Hue Hub1 5.0
Hue Hub2 5.0
Hue Hub3 5.0
Router 15.0
Mesh1 5.0
Mesh2 5.0
Mesh3 5.0
Mesh4 5.0
214.1
Fridge 0.9
Freezer 0.7
Dehumidifier 1.2 Timed
Dishwasher 1.1 Timed
CH Pump1 0.5 Timed
CH Pump2 0.5 Timed
Lounge Media 0.7 Timed
Sitting Room Media 0.5 Timed
Garden Room Media 0.5 Timed
6.6
Ave/Hr 0.27
You need a Smart meter for it to connect to.
App on my phone so easy to monitor what's on or off.
Still 6000 a year and trying to switch off just about everything! Just 2 in a 4 bed house. OK lots of tech...CCTV, Ring doorbells and cameras, Hive hearing
Using Smart plugs on timers, Hue lights on sensors. I need to try much harder
Our electric range cooker eats kWh for every meal!!
Garage 24/7 25.0
Office Main 45.0
Alarms 20.0
Ring Doorbell 5.0
Ring Doorbell 5.0
Ring Camera 5.0
Ring Camera 5.0
Hive Camera 5.0
Radio Alarm 5.0
Cooker 5.0
Microwave 5.0
Echo 2 Bathroom 1.5
Echo 2 En Suite 1.5
Echo Guest Off
Echo 3 Kitchen 1.7
Echo 8 Garden Room 6.7 Timed
Echo 8 Lounge 6.7 Timed
Echo7 Sitting Room 6.0 Timed
Echo Office 5.0
Echo Bedroom 5.0
Hue Hub1 5.0
Hue Hub2 5.0
Hue Hub3 5.0
Router 15.0
Mesh1 5.0
Mesh2 5.0
Mesh3 5.0
Mesh4 5.0
214.1
Fridge 0.9
Freezer 0.7
Dehumidifier 1.2 Timed
Dishwasher 1.1 Timed
CH Pump1 0.5 Timed
CH Pump2 0.5 Timed
Lounge Media 0.7 Timed
Sitting Room Media 0.5 Timed
Garden Room Media 0.5 Timed
6.6
Ave/Hr 0.27
33q said:
I have one of these. https://shop.glowmarkt.com/
You need a Smart meter for it to connect to.
App on my phone so easy to monitor what's on or off.
Still 6000 a year and trying to switch off just about everything! Just 2 in a 4 bed house. OK lots of tech...CCTV, Ring doorbells and cameras, Hive hearing...
The price of tech. H. sapiens has a frightening addiction to gadgets.You need a Smart meter for it to connect to.
App on my phone so easy to monitor what's on or off.
Still 6000 a year and trying to switch off just about everything! Just 2 in a 4 bed house. OK lots of tech...CCTV, Ring doorbells and cameras, Hive hearing...
I was comparing my house to yours... no Alarms, no Rings, no Echos, no Hue Hubs, no Meshes. No smart meter or monitor either, I just know that the less stuff I use, the lower the bill will be.
ETA I don't understand your workings, eh:
Ring Doorbell 5.0
Cooker 5.0
How does a doorbell use as much power as a cooker?
Simpo Two said:
ETA I don't understand your workings, eh:
Ring Doorbell 5.0
Cooker 5.0
How does a doorbell use as much power as a cooker?
I’m guessing that’s the background load in watts from having it powered on but not actively in use. Ring Doorbell 5.0
Cooker 5.0
How does a doorbell use as much power as a cooker?
Anyway, before all the pricing madness started, a 1 watt device running continually for a year would cost you about £1 (8760 hours in a year and 12p per kWh).
Now it’s at least three times that, so all the background load can have a significant impact.
Gassing Station | Finance | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff