Home energy monitor is a small hand-held or table-top device with a screen that shows you how much electricity you’re using in your home – some models also allow you to receive the information on your mobile phone, tablet or laptop.
Your energy monitor should show you how much energy you’re using, how much it costs, and the level of your greenhouse gas emissions. The best energy monitors let you walk round your house switching items on and off, to see how much energy each electrical device or appliance uses. It can also show you how much your energy is costing you, and how much you’re saving once you start using your energy more efficiently. Some models allow you to set daily electricity use targets or have alarms to let you know when you’ve reached a certain level of use.
Once you’ve installed your home energy monitor, it’s fun to try it out at once. Go round your home and switch off everything you can – though probably not the fridge and freezer. Then walk around each room holding your energy monitor, and switch things back on as you go. If your model has a battery-powered hand-held unit, you can walk around freely. If it only works off the mains, you’ll need to plug it in and unplug it as you move from room to room. You’ll see the monitor reading increase when you switch on a new appliance. Some models will transmit this information in a couple of seconds, others may take up to 12 seconds, so make sure you wait long enough.