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(More customer reviews)Now this is a really interesting product. I have several individual energy monitors that will tell me how much power the device (or several devices on a power strip) are using. But, the real heavy-hitters aren't small appliances, they are the large ones like central air conditioning and electric clothes dryers. Plus, what are all those lights I tend to leave on costing me? I just can't tell that from an individual meter, and my power bill includes everything in the house, so I can't narrow it down.
I investigated various solutions for monitoring how much power my home is using. There are a couple of them out there. They are pretty expensive (hundreds of dollars), and they need to be installed by an electrician (there's a pretty big risk of death if you don't know what you are doing).
When this one came along I was interested, but I figured it would be pretty similar to the other ones. Luckily, it differs in two important respects. It is easy to install, and it is much cheaper. Installation consists of putting a battery-powered transmitter on the outside meter. The meter doesn't need to be opened, and it isn't directly attached, so you won't need an electrician. On my meter, which is electronic, it interfaces with it by blinking a light into a little port that is on the meter and reading the response. It works with mechanical meters as well, by sensing the little wheel turning inside the meter. I suspect this is more accurate than the type that connects directly to the power lines, as the meter is what the power company is basing your consumption and cost. I also like the fact that I can't die from attaching it. The downside is that it has a battery that needs regular replacement. The manufacturer recommends lithium AAs for the outside sensor, and those aren't cheap. I'm not sure how long it lasts, but I have several wireless outdoor temperature sensors that go at least a year on a set of standard alkaline batteries, so if it lasts a couple of years on lithiums I'll be happy. Still, it would have been nice of them to throw a set of batteries in the box, even if they had to raise the price a bit to do so.
The display unit, which goes inside and gets information from the wireless sender unit outside on the power meter, is very clear and easy to use. It displays the current energy use along with the month to date cost (you tell it what your power rate is during setup), along with the outside temperature. The amount of money the power is costing is a lot more useful than how many kilowatts are being used, so I was pleased to see that it does the calculation for me. The only hard part here is that you have to do some math from your last bill to determine how much each kilowatt is costing you, but that wasn't especially hard to calculate. They do tell you how to do that in the instructions, but my bill didn't look much like their example so I had to puzzle it out.
One thing I really wished for is a computer interface with graphing software. I wasn't expecting it at this price point, but that would be a great feature. Nothing beats looking at a color-coded graph for seeing where your peak electrical use is happening, and what is causing it. Tie that in with outside temperature, and it is easier to determine how much power is going to the heating and cooling systems during seasonal changes. Maybe they'll release a "pro" version that has that.
Overall, this is an interesting, easy to use, and reasonably priced item. If it helps you lower your energy bill even a little bit each month, it won't be hard to justify the purchase. Plus, now I know that leaving my kitchen lights on all the time is costing me eight cents an hour!
Recommended.
Sean P. Logue, 2008
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Go green and save money on energy costs with the Black & Decker EM100B Energy Saver Series Power Monitor. This compact, easy-to-install device lets you track the amount of electricity that your household uses--and the costs of that usage--in real time. This monitor can help you reduce your energy consumption and decrease your monthly bills while helping the environment.
Simple Installation: No Wiring RequiredGetting started is as easy as mounting the sensor to your outdoor electric meter, aligning it, and synchronizing the sensor with the cordless monitor. Once this is done, you can track real-time usage from a convenient, indoor location. The results are immediately available and can help you to make smart energy-consumption choices. You'll quickly discover that doing the little things really does add up to big savings.
The monitor's easy-to-read digital display shows your current energy usage in dollars, so you don't have to perform tricky calculations to understand what the readings mean. It also shows you the outdoor temperature, so you can account for heat used on cold mornings, and it displays your month-to-date usage along with an estimate for your upcoming bill. This advanced feature can work with any type of billing rate, including flat rate billing, separate peak and off-peak rates, or tiered billing structures.
Track Little Changes that Become Big SavingsA convenient appliance mode feature allows you to track minute-to-minute changes in electric consumption as major appliances are turned on and off, so you can see where your money is going. This makes it easy for you to decide, for instance, which electrical appliances and accessories are really worth their cost, and which of your older appliances are costing you more money than they're worth. You can also quickly tell how much you save by switching to compact florescent light bulbs or instituting other conservation measures in your home.
Once you have the Energy Saver Series Power Monitor set up, you'll be surprised how quickly the everyday choices you make in your electrical consumption add up. In fact, lifestyle changes based on the information your family gets from this monitor can save you up to 20 percent a month on your electric bills.
Enjoy Durability and Widespread CompatibilityThe weatherproof sensor at the heart of this system is designed to handle tough winters, humid summers, and everything in between, so you can rely on it for year-round accurate performance.
This power monitor is designed to work with 90 percent of current electricity meters, including those with visible rotating wheels, those with single optical ports, and some models with dual optical ports.
What's in the BoxCordless monitor station, weatherproof sensor, one shim, and one alignment guide.
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