Whether you’re eager to take advantage of green energy or just looking to save some money, a home energy monitor could well be the thing you’ve been looking for. They help you keep aware of how much energy you use, on what, when, and other valuable things that make your energy usage clearer.
But you’ve probably got questions. Is home energy monitoring system worth the investment? How effective are they? Maybe, even what are they?
Let’s take a look before we get to some home energy monitor reviews, as well, to round out your knowledge and what to look for.
Best Home Energy Monitor Quick-Find Table
Image | Product | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
EDITOR'S CHOICE | EDITOR'S CHOICE |
|
| VIEW LATEST PRICE |
|
| VIEW LATEST PRICE | ||
|
| VIEW LATEST PRICE | ||
|
| VIEW LATEST PRICE |
What Exactly Is a Home Energy Monitor?
First off, a power consumption monitor or home energy monitor is a device that provides feedback on electrical energy use at a home or other building. They typically display the cost of energy that’s been used, how much energy is used, and when it was used. Some are more advanced than others, but the really good ones also let you know what the device is and how often it uses the amount of energy.
Benefits of a Home Energy Monitor
So, if you’re reading this article further, you’re probably wondering how beneficial energy usage monitors really are. On the surface, they don’t seem that “deep,” but in reality they can really make a difference for families – especially those who haven’t been that aware of their energy usage in the past, or for those looking to save energy for the sake of the environment or their pocketbook.
Electricity Monitors Help Your Family Stay Aware of Energy You Use
Even if your family is pretty good about unplugging devices when they’re not being used and turning on lights, an energy monitor can give your family incentive to do even better with conserving energy. The monitors reveal how much energy you actually use, and often how money is being spent on that electricity.
Just be sure to put the monitor in a visible place where all your family members can view it. You might even be able to make a game or competition of it – at least if your monitor indicates specific devices and appliances so you can track individuals’ use.
Energy Monitors Give You a Good Idea of How Much You Spend on Energy
Sure, your energy meter tells you how much energy you use, along with that faithfully arriving monthly bill, but a home energy monitor in a high traffic area can help you keep a better eye on how much use you’re using and therefore how much you’re actually spending.
They Can Help You Discover Devices Left On When You Didn’t Realize
It’s possible for any of us to accidentally leave on a lamp, bathroom fan, or other appliance unawares. When checking your energy monitor becomes a steady part of your routine, you’ll notice oddities and realize that some devices might have been left on when you hadn’t meant to have them on.
A Home Energy Monitoring System Can Make You Think Again About High-Energy Appliances
Once you’ve been tracking your energy usage, you are likely to realize that high-energy appliances are something you no longer want to invest in. As you shop for new devices, that monitor will probably pop into your head and you’ll potentially change your mind about that certain appliance that isn’t as green as you’d really like it to be.
A Home Energy Usage Monitor Can Help You Make Other Money-Saving Green Changes
Finally, because you’re monitoring your energy usage, you are likely to be prompted into making other changes. You might realize you’re wasting other resources as well, and you might start taking shorter showers, using the dishwasher less, or changing out LED bulbs for those old incandescent bulbs.
Reviews of the 4 Best Home Energy Monitors
Before we crafted these home energy monitor reviews, we looked into the various options available online. We made sure that each of the monitors met the standard qualities we recommend, with options that should meet the majority of folks’ needs.
The Sense Energy Monitor with Solar home energy monitor is our top pick because of a number of things, but specifically because it’s the most detailed, well-defined, and easiest monitor to use.
What We Loved
The Sense Energy Monitor allows you to save on energy and money by providing you with detailed insight into the energy consumption in your home. You can track when each outlet/appliance is used – like when your basement light goes on (and how long it stays on).
We love that it’s a super easy-to-read monitor. The view of both energy consumption and your solar production line up side-by-side for easy understanding and tracking.
We love that Sense identified patterns of energy use so that you can better understand your usage and cut back on waste.
You can also set custom notifications for critical devices like sump pumps, flat irons, well pumps, or others.
And, most importantly, this one meets all of the rigorous safety standards of the ETL/Intertek certification for safety.
What We Didn’t Love
One of the two complaints we’ve seen that appears to be more than user error or a “lemon,” is that the Sense does not work with a Square D breaker panel.
The second is that you cannot manually identify an appliance or device into the system – you must allow Sense to do the work on its own. Some users have complained that this has resulted in various appliances registering as “other” rather than television, lamp, or another specific device.
Our Verdict
If you’ve got a lot of devices to monitor and want a solid view of where and when energy is used in your home, this is a great monitor to use. In fact, it’s our top choice for best electricity usage monitor because of the quality of manufacture, ease of use, and accuracy of the information provided.
>> Tap Here to Read More Reviews and See Today’s Price on Amazon.com <<
For an easy to understand monitor that you can check from anywhere, the Eyedro Home Energy Monitor is a fantastic choice. You just log onto your account at My.Eyedro.com and you can understand real-time energy use along with previous use.
What We Loved
We love how easy this home monitor is to use. We also love that you can review and understand your energy usage from anywhere in the world, practically, as long as you have Wi-Fi or ethernet access for your device. Check it with your smartphone, computer, or Amazon Echo.
My.Eyedro.com membership is free, so there’s no monthly fee – making is a great budget-friendly option for monitoring your home energy, as well.
Plus, this monitor is easier to install than many models – gotta love that.
We love that you can customize the rate the match your utility – the EHEM1-LV includes two 200A sensors that you connect to your cables, which allows you to connect to the internet for checking everything.
And you can get a comprehensive view on your usage for daily, weekly, monthly, or even yearly reports via email.
What We Didn’t Love
One of the main issues we found with this is that because it relies on the internet, if you have any kind of outage of internet coverage, you can’t receive any data – the down time will register as “0.”
The other big one is that it doesn’t seem to identify individual appliances and devices, but just gives a “whole view” instead. Not a huge problem for some, but can definitely be for others.
Our Verdict
This is a great general option for folks who don’t need a lot of details on which device uses how much energy. It’s simple to use, gives a long history of data, and is easy to install for the most part. Plus, it comes from a well-trusted manufacturer with this particular model available in over 150 countries.
>> Tap Here to Read More Reviews and See Today’s Price on Amazon.com <<
If you don’t need to monitor your whole home’s output, have a cabin in the woods to monitor, or simply need to “monitor in stages,” this is a great option for you. The Kuman Electricity Usage Monitor Plug Power Meter works for any home with standard outlets, whether you use solar or grid power.
The monitor will measure exactly how much juice you use for whatever is plugged into it. This is especially great for someone needing to check specific devices or appliances, like an air conditioner, coffee pot, or something similar.
What We Loved
This is perfect for a family that generally doesn’t use a lot of energy but wants to keep an eye on things like air conditioner usage. You can keep yourself accountable on key appliances by plugging in a few of these around the house.
This is especially great for families with teens or kids who seem to use a lot of energy and need to learn a bit about energy conservation.
We love that there are 7 display modes for monitoring your energy usage and that is has overload protection. Review your power (wattage), energy (kilowatt hours), voltage, amps, power factor, minimum and maximum power, and cost.
The screen is super easy to read, with a large, clear LCD display.
We also love that it has a rechargeable battery that stores electricity so that you don’t lose readings if you move the monitor from one outlet to another.
What We Didn’t Love
There are two main things folks might have issues with on this. The first is that the LCD screen doesn’t appear to be back lit, so you will need some light to be able to read the screen which is otherwise easy to read.
The second is that this has limited capacity – meaning it only works for one outlet at a time. It’s not truly a home energy monitor in that sense – it only looks at one appliance at a time rather than the whole house.
Our Verdict
Ultimately, this is the best option for someone looking to understand a few things, like which kid is using more air conditioning in the summer, teaching someone to remember to turn off a lamp when they leave the room, or something similar. If you don’t need to monitor the whole house, this is a great option. If you need a bigger picture, you’ll need a full-on monitor instead.
>> Tap Here to Read More Reviews and See Today’s Price on Amazon.com <<
The Emporia Vue Smart Home Energy Monitor is a fairly easy monitor to install, which makes it great for folks who don’t have a lot of experience in this area. It reads wirelessly from your AMI smart meter – just plug into an outlet near your meter and go. No electrician needed.
What We Loved
Of all the ones we’ve looked at, this is the easiest installation – simply plug in and go.
This is also an easy to read meter with actionable data, using the Emporia app on Android or iPhone without much issue.
Plus, it handles home or commercial electricity usage with its 2-phase or light commercial 3-phase service for you.
It’s truly, easy to use – for just about anyone.
What We Didn’t Love
This monitor is strictly useable with certain meters only. PG&E, SCE, PPL, SoCal Edison, First Energy, Green Mountain Power, and Burlington Electric only. If you live in the regions where these are available, then you’re good to go – but if you’re not, well, this is not the monitor for you.
If you live in the right areas to have access to these grids along with your solar energy production, you’re all set, but if you’re not – which is, unfortunately, more of us than not.
Our Verdict
This is a great, simple, and easy to use home monitor system for anyone using a combined grid and solar power at home or in a commercial space. You have to be in specific regions for the monitor to work, though.
>> Tap Here to Read More Reviews and See Today’s Price on Amazon.com <<
How to Choose the Right Home Energy Monitor
There are several things to consider before purchasing energy monitoring devices, specifically solar monitors.
Budget May Be An Issue
Not all monitors cost hundreds of dollars, so you don’t have to automatically get one that’s out of your price range – but you will generally get what you pay for. Be sure to read home energy monitor reviews thoroughly before purchasing one. You may discover that the budget-friendly device today is anything but in the long run.
Detail of Monitoring May Be Your Thing
Not all monitors give detailed output of information on the devices in your home. There are some that list individual appliances and give output data for those, while others monitor a building in general. If you need specific data for lamps versus air conditioners, for example, make sure that you select one that covers your needed details.
Will This Monitor Work In Your Smart Home?
If you have a smart home, it’s important to make sure that your monitor works with your smart home setup. The advertisements for the device should clearly state this, so you’ll know pretty easily whether or not it will.
Is This Monitor Compatible With Solar Energy?
If your home solar energy system is hooked up to the grid, likely you’ll have no issues with these. But you still need to verify that it works with solar energy – especially if you want the greatest detail possible on consumption and production.
Mobile Apps and Internet Accessibility
If having your monitor data available by Wi-Fi or ethernet, verify that your preferred device is compatible and offers an app that works well for your needs. Some have in-depth apps while others have very simple read-outs. Make sure the app is up to your standards.
Does the Monitor Offer Real-Time Cost Tracking?
Another thing that may be very important for you and your family to fully take advantage of an energy monitor is real-time cost tracking. Does the monitor show you in pennies how much a second of energy is worth? Or a daily read out? Not all monitors offer this feature, so verify that it’s available, if that’s important for your “green plan.”
How Easy Is Installation?
Like everything else under the sun, not all home energy monitors are made equal when it comes to installation ease. Some absolutely require an electrician to come for installation, while some styles are simple enough that anyone can use them without a professional’s help.
If you’re needing to save money or don’t want to hire a professional, make sure that you’re getting a monitor that doesn’t require an electrician.
Do You Need to Hire Someone to Install Your Energy Monitor?
The technical answer is no, you don’t need to hire someone to install your whole house electricity usage monitor – however, each monitor is different and there may be exceptions to the need. Some folks are skilled in this arena and may have no issues with the installation, but others may need to hire someone.
It is recommended that you consult with an electrician before installing your monitor to ensure safety is met and you’re fully prepared to install on your own.
Many of the home monitors are marketed as “do it yourself,” but any time there is electricity involved, you run the risk of getting shocked by the system. So, though technically you may not have to hire an electrician, we recommend that you do so to avoid potential hazards.