Have you noticed your electric bill climbing in recent months, but you can’t seem to put your finger on why? While your utility bill shows how much electricity you’ve used in the past month, it doesn’t break down which devices are consuming the most power, or pinpoint areas where you may be wasting energy.
A home energy monitor is the solution to this problem. While having one will not automatically cause your power consumption to drop, it can generate detailed reports that will help identify wasteful behaviors and power-hungry devices in your home. This technology is an investment that can easily pay for itself in as little as one season.
How Does a Home Energy Monitor Work?
A household energy monitor is a device that connects to your circuit breaker to show how much power your home is using and provide you with detailed information you can use to reduce your energy consumption. It can show you which appliances are using the most and allow you to make more informed decisions about your power consumption over time and the best electricity price plan in Ontario.
Advantages of Having a Home Energy Monitor
- Energy monitors help you become more aware of the energy you’re using.
These devices give you a real-time picture of exactly how much energy your home is using, Furthermore, they allow you detect and compare high load circuits like kitchen, laundry or living room, or even individual appliances.
- Information is easy to read and understand.
Products come with iOS and Android apps that are easy to navigate. Some electricity monitors also let you set a monthly energy budget so you can see, day by day, if you are going to meet or exceed your target.
- They are especially useful for solar owners.
For homeowners who have installed solar panels or who are thinking about making the switch, look for devices that come solar-ready, which will help you keep track of how much energy your solar panels are generating, when are the peak times you are collecting solar energy and how you are using it.
- They help you spot any devices you didn’t realize were on.
We’ve all unintentionally left a light or an appliance running when we weren’t using it. Another handy feature of electricity monitors is that they can help alert you to any home appliances you’ve accidentally left switched on.
- They also make you think twice about using high-energy appliances.
It’s a good habit to be mindful about how you use appliances that demand a lot of electricity consumption, such as clothes dryers. Instead of doing 10 small loads of drying, try doing five fuller loads instead.
- Energy monitors can push you to make energy-efficient changes.
Because your energy monitor allows you to see where you are spending the most money on electricity, this can prompt you to take positive steps – no matter how small they may seem – to reduce your energy use, such as switching from old-fashioned light bulbs to compact fluorescent ones. Even the tiny changes add up quickly in terms of saving you money on your monthly utility bill.
If you are interested to find out what energy monitors are available, and how much it costs to install one, please fill out a request form, and we’ll get back to you within 24 hours!
