Comments on: Google PowerMeter measuring electricity consumption in your home

By: Mrs Green

Mrs Green — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 07:22:56 +0000

Thanks Jon; that’s great. It’s good information as all these gadgets differ slightly

By: jon

jon — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 20:56:16 +0000

Hi, Mrs. Green. By utilizing the Chart Feature of the Energy Owl application you can figure out the energy used by systematically turning any appliance on and off and watching the chart display update. You can view the data in different time frames (by the minute, hour, day, month) and use that (difference) info to determine individual appliance power draw (with some additional simple arithmetic). For example, the chart says something is using .1 cents a minute , multiply that times 60 minutes = 6 cents an hour, multiplied by 24 = $1.44 a day. Hope this answers your question!

By: Mrs Green

Mrs Green — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 07:34:43 +0000

@jon: Hi Jon, thank you for sharing this information. We have an OWL monitor and I find it slightly lacking in features. You can’t for instance isolate one appliance and find out how much it is costing you to run in a 24 hour period, which I would find very useful.
Does your Energy Owl have this feature?

By: jon

jon — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 22:40:02 +0000

The only people that can currently use this google power deal are the ones with a T.E.D. power monitor that runs for $199 USD. There is a product available that does the same thing with many powerful features for only $119. It is also easier to install as which you do not need an electrician or similar expertise. -Energy Owl Electricity Monitoring Systems - http://www.TheEnergyOwl.com

By: Mrs Green

Mrs Green — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 19:38:00 +0000

@yournontoxiclife: Hi again, good to see you. It sounds like you are doing really well with cutting your expenses and emissions. That’s what I love about these green issues; so many of them save you money as well as helping the planet - you can’t beat a win-win situation!

By: yournontoxiclife

yournontoxiclife — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 23:08:15 +0000

I think we are saving up to $20/month. I have now replaced 37 bulbs in the house and outside. I plan to replace about 10 more. I also love the fact that these bulbs last so much longer than standard bulbs. With close to 50 bulbs in my life, this makes things easier

By: Mrs Green

Mrs Green — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 07:23:25 +0000

@yournontoxiclife: Hi yournontoxic life! How much reduction do you think you are getting just from replacing your incandescent bulbs with CFLs?
I have a plug in meter and it’s very interesting and has certainly made me more aware of our usage.

@Graham: I agree Graham. I guess at this point it’s only an ideas / prototype. It could be expanded to be a very useful tool.
Which changes do you think make he most difference to your electricity consumption in your household?

@Wilson Pon: Hi Wilson; I’m not sure it is available yet, and when it does come out, it will only be in the US to begin with. I guess popularity will determine whether it goes worldwide.
Do you take regular meter readings at the moment?

By: Wilson Pon

Wilson Pon — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 06:52:02 +0000

Mrs. Green, I heard about the Google PowerMeter before, but haven’t really use it yet! Maybe, I should apply it to measure my household electricity consumption.

By: Graham

Graham — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 15:00:14 +0000

I think this is a great idea! Google could make it a little more detailed, but definitely a nice project. In the future maybe these charts would be hooked up to the items in your home for a totally accurate result.

It’s surprising that just a little change can reduce your electricity bill and help conserve the environment.

By: yournontoxiclife

yournontoxiclife — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 14:50:16 +0000

I haven’t tried any of the current power meters, but I do keep track month to month as I replaced my bulbs with CFL bulbs. I definitely noticed a difference! And you are right, if I could see my consumption in real time, the little numbers geek inside me (OK BIG numbers geek) would for sure try to use less.