Would like to "bring the science" (concentrate!)

DeVore

I've just bought a house and I'd like to know what rate I am burning 'lecky at!

Ideally a gadget that allows me to see realtime usage on a display. (I am interested in how much my immersion costs me per minute for example).

Is there such a thing and can you point me at it?

DeV.

EI: Una

Hi DeVore,

Well there is the appliance calculator - would that be along the lines of what you are looking for?

Regards,
Una

HivemindXX

A device like Wattson (there's quite a few similar things) might be what you want. I saw it at a trade fair here but I can't remember the vendor, the link is to a UK site.

Eventually we'll be using smart meters and as a side effect of that you'll be able to see how much electricity you are using in real time.

RoundyMooney

Tom, an OWL is what you need, program in the unit price and away you go.

http://www.theowl.com/

DeVore

Thanks all, I'll check those out!

DeV.

Electric Ireland: David

Hi DeVore,

In addition to the calculator Una pointed you to, we also have a Plug-In Energy Monitor in our online store, if you think that could help.


Features:

• It measures electricity units (kWh’s) used
• It also measures volts, amps, watts, volt-amps and frequency
• Accurate up to 2%
• Measures up to 3,750 W (active power)
• Back lit LCD display

Regards,

David.

(and btw, thanks a mill for the compliment on the other thread!)

Davy

Electric Ireland: David wrote: »

Hi DeVore,

In addition to the calculator Una pointed you to, we also have a Plug-In Energy Monitor in our online store, if you think that could help.

One thing it cant do though david is the immersion


I have used a wattson in the past and found it good. It can tell you, your entire usage at anyone time, either by kwh units, or by price. You set the unit rate.

One thing it is good for is the pc sync, and you can compare one week, month, past months etc. The colour changing light is a bit gadgety but can be a good way of knowing your usage as it goes from blue to red with the more units your using. More infor:> http://www.diykyoto.com/uk/wattson/about

Electric Ireland: David

davy wrote:

I have used a wattson in the past and found it good. It can tell you, your entire usage at anyone time, either by kwh units, or by price. You set the unit rate.

One thing it is good for is the pc sync, and you can compare one week, month, past months etc. The colour changing light is a bit gadgety but can be a good way of knowing your usage as it goes from blue to red with the more units your using. More infor:> http://www.diykyoto.com/uk/wattson/about

That's an impressive little device!

With my friend holmes, I look at the energy your home is using, show you usage in graphs and charts, and help you figure out ways to save electricity.

For Wattson's companion, I thought hohms would have been the obvious choice...

DeVore

I got an OWL+ yoke and then left the country so I will connect it when I'm home and start to graph my electricity usage. If I find anything useful I'll post back here!

Thanks all!
DeV.

Triangla

You can go old school and observe the digits on your meter increasing over a set time period while the immersion is off against a set period when the immersion is on.

Added bonus of costing you nothing, just a little time.

.BrianJM

Triangla wrote: »

You can go old school and observe the digits on your meter increasing over a set time period while the immersion is off against a set period when the immersion is on.

Added bonus of costing you nothing, just a little time.

Of course you'd have to switch everything that has a thermostat off. e.g. heater, refrigerator & cooker etc. to prevent false readings. You'd also have to do it regularly to allow for varied amounts of water usage and water temperature.
Consumers with outside meter should wrap up warmly during winter.

I'm considering getting the Wattson or something similar so I'll hold off until DeVore posts some results.

Meanwhile I shall continue to take my weekly reading which serves me well.

DeVore

im a geek and a maths nut.... observing near real time stats on my house has almost nothing to do with saving money for me, thats just a nice by product haha....

datazzzzz mmmmmmm lovely lovely datazzzz....

(I'm the guy who bought the Android app which records the frequency and intensity of noise you make while asleep.

Stop looking at me like that.)


DeV.
ps: away until sunday 5th so will post some after that.

Meelich

Tom, give us a shout when you're back my hubby (your roomie) and myself were just talking about such a thing....

saorviewseeker

Electric Ireland: David wrote: »

That's an impressive little device!



For Wattson's companion, I thought hohms would have been the obvious choice...

I have an Owl Monitor and am wondering how to include the standing charge in the setup. Thought I was buying the best since it has a Which Best Buy October 2009 on the box. However, I see no way of including this charge in the setup.

DeVore

Right , I've collected a bunch of data and it's really quite interesting. Two things stand out... Firstly an old style bulb in the porch burns about .5 amps while a modern lamp I have which takes *three* energy savers burns less than .3 amps !

The other odd thing is that my gas boiler seems to use electricity , which I can't understand. Can anyone explain that to me? Is that normal?

DeV.

Davy

DeVore wrote: »

The other odd thing is that my gas boiler seems to use electricity , which I can't understand. Can anyone explain that to me? Is that normal?

Yes very much so :pac:

Electric Ireland: David

saorviewseeker wrote: »

I have an Owl Monitor and am wondering how to include the standing charge in the setup. Thought I was buying the best since it has a Which Best Buy October 2009 on the box. However, I see no way of including this charge in the setup.

Hi saorviewseeker,

It would be best to contact the manufacturers directly about this issue. If it can't be resolved, it could still be taken on board as valuable feedback.

The PSO Levy is another fixed charge that you would need to factor into your calculations; you can find further information on all the terms on your bill here.

Hope this helps.

Thanks,

David.

Electric Ireland: David

DeVore wrote: »

Right , I've collected a bunch of data and it's really quite interesting. Two things stand out... Firstly an old style bulb in the porch burns about .5 amps while a modern lamp I have which takes *three* energy savers burns less than .3 amps !

DeV.

Hi DeVore,

Interesting findings alright - energy saver bulbs are certainly the way to go. Much more efficient than the old incandescent ones.

DeVore wrote:

The other odd thing is that my gas boiler seems to use electricity , which I can't understand. Can anyone explain that to me? Is that normal?

As Davy said above, this is normal. The reason for this is that the circulation pump and the thermostat need electricity, and sometimes there is a spark needed for ignition (rather than a pilot light), so a constant electrical supply is required for most gas boilers to function.

If you have any more questions don't hesitate to ask.

Thanks,

David.