Using a Power Monitor to Save Money on Electricity Bills

In recent years, the price of electricity has been skyrocketing upwards, reaching new heights every year. As bills continue to rise, many people are looking for ways to save money and cut costs on their utilities. Although the monthly electricity bill will show the total kilowatt hours of electricity consumed by a household, it does not show how the amount was distributed or what the biggest power drains in the home were. One way to do so is to install an inexpensive power monitor.

A power monitor is a small device that homeowners can attach to their electrical meters on the outside of their homes. The device is able to read most electrical meters and then transmits the data into the home via a remote display. There, homeowners can see how much electricity they are using at any given time and cumulatively over a certain period. Generally, these monitors come in two varieties, which differ based on their placement. The first kind attaches directly to the electrical meter that is on the outside of the house. These devices work with most electrical meters that are found in modern homes and are easy to install. The second type of monitoring equipment is placed inside the home at the electrical box. These types are more difficult to install and may require the services of a qualified electrician in order to be connected to the home's electrical grid. More expensive models of either variety will have remote displays that can transmit data to a display device that can be located anywhere in the house, while less expensive versions will have the display attached directly to the monitor.

One of the best features about installing electrical consumption monitors is that they allow homeowners to keep track of their consumption of electricity in real time. Using this data, they can systematically go throughout their home, turning off and unplugging all of their electricity dependent items in order to see how much electricity each device draws and how much money could be saved by unplugging them. Many people are unaware that even though a piece of electronic equipment is turned off, it still draws a small amount of electricity from being plugged into the wall. Having monitoring equipment can allow homeowners to see the exact amount that is being used or saved when the item is unplugged from the wall. Another benefit of having electricity monitoring equipment is that homeowners can make sure that their utility bills are correct. Most of the time, electrical companies read the electricity meters on the side of the house correctly, but sometimes they make mistakes. Having a monitoring device can provide homeowners with evidence of their true electrical consumption should a billing dispute occur. Finally, these devices are particularly helpful for individuals that are environmentally conscious and want a way to keep track of how much energy they are using.

Everyone would like to save money on their electricity bills, but not everyone knows where to start. By installing devices to measure their electrical consumption, savvy homeowners can easily keep track of where their money is being spent.