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These systems either connect to your home's electrical panel or meter. They serve as a communication platform for homeowners, appliances, devices, and sometimes the utility company. These systems can monitor and observe minute-by-minute trends in how energy use in the home.
There are several different types of home energy monitoring systems on the market today. However, most allow homeowners to track the energy consumption of each appliance in the home. Today, these systems are connected to your smartphone or home Wi-Fi system and deliver instant updates and reports regarding energy usage in your home.
These systems can also deliver homeowners valuable data that can help them track how they are using their energy daily, weekly, and monthly. This information can be beneficial when discovering practices and behaviors that contribute to increased energy usage. For example, if you are alerted that several lights were left on in the house, you can use that information to turn off those lights with smart lighting control.
Some energy monitors even analyze patterns and trends to make recommendations for energy reduction, like unplugging the toaster after breakfast and upgrading to an energy-efficient refrigerator. Having such a valuable tool working around the clock will help your family make smarter decisions and reduce your energy consumption.
Can I Reduce My Energy Usage With Energy-Efficient Products?
We waste much of the electricity we use in our homes through continued reliance on energy-inefficient, out-of-date technologies. A 20-year-old refrigerator could use 1,700 kWh of electricity annually, compared to new Energy Star models of similar size using about 450 kWh. Updating our appliances, windows, doors, and other sustainable building aspects to more energy-efficient models is a straightforward solution to drastically reducing our home energy usage.
How Can I Track My Energy Usage at Home?
Home energy monitors also retain historical data to help you better understand your everyday energy consumption and find actionable solutions to cut back. Wouldn’t it be nice to stop guessing what is draining your electricity and know that your actions are actively reducing your energy consumption?
How Can I Tell Which Appliance Is Using Too Much Electricity?
Energy monitoring devices equipped with appliance recognition will pinpoint individual appliances throughout the home. The smart device will recognize every item plugged into your sockets from hair dryers to your washing machine. You may even have the opportunity to give it a unique name within the app. Naming your appliances will help you better track which TV in the house is on. It may even make recommendations like setting a time to turn it off automatically each night.
Can Home Energy Monitoring Save Me Money?
Common sense would have us believe that increased energy efficiency should lead to less overall energy demand. Unfortunately, when electricity is more efficient and cheaper, we tend to use more of it. Energy efficiency gains will only lower overall resource consumption when accompanied by behavioral patterns that make a conscientious effort to reduce resource use.
In the specific case of smart home technologies, each technology by taken by itself, might be able to reduce overall energy demand. On a larger scale, however, the 50 billion smart home devices expected to be in use by 2020 could undoubtedly lead to an increase in total residential energy use. Home energy monitoring systems are one type of smart home technology that encourages behavioral changes that are essential for reducing our energy demand.
What Is the Best Smart Home Energy Monitor?
To select the best home energy monitor for your family, you must evaluate the house and what you hope to gain from the monitor. For example, some devices will allow you to set customized budgets and goals, while others provide energy reports on a weekly or monthly basis. For homes with installed solar panels or those considering adding solar, look for an energy monitor that comes solar-ready.
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Home energy monitoring systems have come a long way since being introduced about a decade ago. The best home energy monitoring systems should include several innovative features, including:
1. Wi-Fi Connectivity
Your home energy monitoring system needs to interact with other smart home devices you might be using. Make sure to prioritize options that come with Wi-Fi connectivity, as this will allow for seamless integration into your smart home network. More straightforward Bluetooth connectivity is also an option for homeowners who want to monitor their household energy usage.
2. How Consumption is Measured
An added benefit of many home energy monitoring systems is how they present your residential electricity usage information. An interactive interface with graphs and diagrams is usually easier to understand than a bunch of numbers. The best systems will also present the data both in kilowatt-hours and in dollars and cents. This will help homeowners see how reduced energy usage directly translates into monthly savings.
3. Compatibility With Your Home Electricity Setup
Most home energy monitoring systems support various household electricity voltages (120/208/240V). Others, however, will only be useful for split-phase households. Make sure to ask an electrician which type of monitoring system will work with your home.
4. Ability to Track Solar Production and Energy Usage
Even if you don't have solar panels, a home energy monitoring system capable of tracking solar production is an essential element of the solar-ready home. This feature can help homeowners properly size a future solar PV system and determine the best ways to reduce municipal grids' reliance.
5. Easy Installation
Homeowners should prioritize home energy monitoring systems that are easy to set up and install. Both wireless monitors and those attached to your power board should be up and running in less than an hour for a relatively little labor cost.
Below are our recommendations for those interested in understanding how you use energy and identify opportunities for energy savings throughout your home.
What Are the Leading Brands of Home Energy Monitors?
There are so many options on the market now, here's a breakdown of some of our favorites.
- Emporia Gen 2 Vue Home Energy Monitor
- Sense Home Energy Monitor
- Neurio Home Electricity Monitor
- Eyedro Home Electricity Monitor
- Smappee Home Energy Monitor
- CURB Home Energy Monitoring System
- Ecoisme Home Energy Monitoring System
- Efergy Home Energy Monitor
- Blue Line Innovations EnergyCloud
Scroll down to take an in-depth look at the features and price range of each.
CURB Home Energy Monitoring System
The CURB energy monitor connects to your home's breaker box to help you identify power hogs in real-time and predict monthly energy costs. The monitor is solar-ready and compatible with other smart home devices to help you pinpoint energy drains and remotely power them down, right from the app.
The CURB system starts at $399 (USD).
Blue Line Innovations EnergyCloud
EnergyCloud allows you to take control of your energy with their real-time electricity monitor. The device helps you eliminate unexpected high utility bills and shows you, down the appliance level, what is consuming the most electricity. The device is easy to set up by yourself in 30 minutes or less with no wiring or need for an electrician.
EnergyCloud sells for $159 (USD).
Become a Smart Energy Consumer
We've come to rely on electricity for nearly everything. We tend to take it for granted, overrunning our electricity bills and wasting precious resources to power devices we're too lazy to unplug. 7The old approach of cutting back on all energy consumption across the board is no longer necessary. Smart home energy monitoring devices can help us systematically identify energy hogs in the home and make conscious decisions as to where to cut back and by how much.
Laura Bourland
Laura grew up in the California suburbs, far removed from environmentalism, but nature always has a way. She uprooted her life in 2015, moving to the countryside of Washington to live a more sustainable and simple life on 12 acres. She and her fiancee are learning on the job as they attempt everything from gardening and natural pest control to eco-friendly building and home improvement.
