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Whole House Electricity Meters |
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Written by Matt
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Sunday, 16 September 2007 23:53 |
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Most of us don't have a really good sense of how much electricity is being used in our homes at any given moment. We might go out and look at the electrical meter if we are really inspired, but other than seeing how quickly (or slowly) the dial is spinning, there isn't much information that's useful to the average person. Displaying the amount of electricity being used inside the house is now possible with a couple of moderately priced devices. Even better, they can be programmed so that they can display the information into equivalent carbon output or into dollars per hour. When you turn on a light, you can effectively see how much the electricity is costing you. 
The Efergy monitor clamps onto the outside of the main electrical cable near the meter, and reads electricity use by induction, so no specialized wiring is required. The data is wirelessly transmitted to the small display unit which can be carried anywhere throughout the house. But so far it's only available in the UK.
In the US, a similar product is T.E.D. (The Energy Detective). Unlike the Efergy unit, T.E.D. is connected to the household wiring inside the electrical panel. This may require a brief visit from an electrician, but can also be a DIY project...if you're daring. But the benefit is in having a device that is more accurate with its readings. Both of these can be useful for tracking (and streamlining) your energy use, and cutting down on your electricity bill. And you don't have to go outside every time you want to try to figure it out. (Via EcoGeek)
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Last Updated ( Tuesday, 30 November 1999 00:00 )
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