Thursday 17 May 2012
Real Time Displays

Real-time displays use magnetic sensors to detect how much electricity a house is using. These sensors send data wirelessly from the mains electricity meter to a display in a family's living space. It has been found that when families are able to see how much electricity they are using and how much it is costing them, in real-time, they're able to reduce their electricity use by 10% - 20%. Families are usually able to achieve these savings by simply switching off things which do not need to be on or by using more essential items less often. In fact, almost everyone learns something new when they see this information for the first time!  Below is information on a selection of the latest models from the UK's suppliers of world-leading displays.

Current Cost : CC128

Current Cost's CC128 is a second generation energy display which allows you to monitor your home's electricity consumption. It's sensor clamp and transmitter allow you to send energy data from your mains electricity meter to a display in more visible place in your house such as a living room, bedroom or kitchen. This kit comes with a data cable that allows you to use third party software to view the data on your computer. It is possible to buy extra sensors which enable you to take measurements from three-phase supplies.

Visit www.currentcost.com to find out more.

 

DIY Kyoto : Wattson

DIY Kyoto's Wattson comes with a sensor clip and transmitter which measure the electricity coming into your home, and send this information to a display which shows you in watts or in cost how much electricity your home is using at any moment. On the Wattson's underside are coloured lights which also show how much energy you’re using. When its lights glow blue, you’re using less electricity than normal. When there’s a purple glow, you’re using the average for your home. And when they’re red, you’re using more electricity than usual. Wattson's new downloadable Holmes software allows you to look at the energy your home is using, by showing you usage in graphs and charts, and helps you figure out ways to save electricity.

Visit www.diykyoto.com to find out more.

Eco-Eye : Elite

The Eco-Eye Elite display unit measures 170mm x 80mm x 25mm. It has a large screen (145mm x 50mm) with bold figures 40mm high. This means that the Elite can be read from some distance which makes it ideally suited for wall mounting. At the press of a button you can select the currency of your choice (£, $, €) and select the voltage of your choice between 90v and 255v. The unit will then display real-time information in the units of your choice watts, costs or CO2 emissions.

Visit www.eco-eye.com to find out more.

Efergy : e2
 

Efergy's latest wireless electricity monitor is called the e2.  The e2 is easy to use and can provide hourly, daily, weekly, monthly and average data. It also has a memory function and you can use up to 4 tariffs settings if you need to. In addition, you can upload the data to your PC. The e2 graphs your energy consumption over time so you can easily track the changes.

Visit www.efergy.com to find out more.


EWGECO

Ewgeco is a real-time energy-monitor that makes energy visible. It measures electricity, water and gas and shows consumption as a cost, kilowatts, litres/hour, C02 emissions and colourful Ewgeco units.  By presenting the data in an easy-to-understand way, you are able to see when energy is being consumed or wasted. Real-time energy displays encourage behavioural change and Ewgeco's unique 'traffic light' display clearly shows if the energy being used throughout the day is acceptable. If Ewgeco's red lights are visible, energy consumption is excessive and should be investigated.

Visit www.ewgeco.com to find out more.


GEO : Minim

The Minim is Green Energy Options' (GEOs') starter greyscale display within a range of more colourful LCD energy monitors. It is a simple black & white screen that clearly shows the total amount of electricity being used in the home. It can display this information as units of electricity, CO2 emissions or in local currency.

The Minim allows you to Instantly see what levels of electricity are being used currently, to view historical usage for up to 30 days, to set a target bar that encourages energy efficient behaviour. It is also relatively quick and easy to self install.

Visit www.greenenergyoptions.co.uk to find out more.


Onzo : Smart Energy Kit

Onzo's Smart Energy Kit consists of an award winning in-home display, a sensor and web portal. The display, which can be positioned in the home in a variety of ways, delivers simple and coherent information to consumers, helping them make decisions on their energy usage in real-time.  It receives per-second data wirelessly from a self-charging sensor that has been designed for easy user-installation to a cable from the electricity meter. The display can be connected to a home computer to upload data to a web portal where more detailed information and energy reduction advice is available to consumers. Onzo's customer intelligence software modules are integrated within the web site and will provide Scottish and Southern Energy with a detailed analysis of consumption and understanding of customer behaviour in what is a highly competitive marketplace.

Visit www.onzo.co.uk to find out more.

Owl : CM119

The new Owl CM119 helps reduce electricity consumption in the home by enabling you to see exactly how much you are spending through an easy to read portable monitor unit. By seeing the immediate impact in pence per hour of replacing standard light bulbs with low-energy ones, switching off unnecessary devices throughout the home you are naturally motivated to save energy. New features for the Owl CM119 include a memory function, Economy 7 compatibility and user-definable transmission channels. The link between transmitter and receiver remains as rock-solid and robust. During field trials in this product's development phase, some users reportedly achieved savings of an impressive 25%.

Visit Energy Monitor's Owl page to find out more.

Efergy : esocket

The new esocket from efergy measures the watts used by your plug-in appliances. Using this portable device you can understand the energy usage of individual electrical appliances or multiple adapters by the hour, day, week, month or even year.  This cheap device also enables you to calculate how much each device is costing you, to appreciate how expensive an inefficient appliance can be and to monitor your electricity supply at a very fine scale.

 

Duck Shower Timer

This fun Duck Shower Timer can save you both energy and water.  Heating the hot water needed for a power shower can use as much as 15 kilowatts (the same as leaving on 15 kettles) for as long as you are in the shower, so cutting down your shower to 5 minutes instead of a long soak can save a large amount of money and energy. This waterproof timer from EcoSavers costs less than £5 and is one of the best ways of starting to reduce your energy use.

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