PowerCost Home Energy Use Monitor

Now this thing looks great! I skimmed the manual and it addresses all the questions I had. Combine this with one of the outlet-based monitors for the truly obsessed (energy conscious)!

Oh man I want one of these. But I fear it will lead to constantly checking it while huddling in the dark. Something like this could be really dangerous to an OCD guy like me.

Awesome idea, I really think these should be manditory on all new houses built. Real time feedback such as the PowerCost Monitor will change how people use electricity.

For example, I put a scaungauge in my car for real time MPG feedback and it has absolutly changed how I drive each day. I no longer fly down the freeway at 80mph, I get upto 2 - 3mph over the speedlimit and then put it on cruise. I went from an avg of 34mpg on the freeway to 47mpg almost over night! (06 diesel Jetta).

I'm putting this one on my wishlist. :)

There is already one of these outside of every house. Of course it is a little more hands on.

Another product The (CENT-A-Meter) exists that acts on the same principal (an electricity speedometer), but offers additional features including: * Temperature and Humidity Display Showing Comfort Level In The Home * Greenhouse Gas Emissions in KG/Hour * Alarm to Notify of Excessive Peak Loads * Adjustable Electricity Rate.

The CENT-A-METER installs indoors in minutes, requiring no electrical connections or ongoing alignment/calibration.
Its simple clip-on sensors are the definitive solution for reliable and continuous reading, and are not adversely affected by weather conditions that interfere with optical sensing instruments.

The CENT-A-METER is widely recognized as the most elegantly designed, consumer-friendly product of its kind in the market.

For additional information visit: www.POWER2SAVE.ca

Hi Joe.

I was reading your post and thought: "Is this Joe?" and it was.

Big wave.

TED: The Energy Detective is a similar product that installs inside your home (rather than sensing the actual meter it uses current transformers and plc carriers to transfer the information) and offers better resolution as a result.

I have a PowerCost Monitor and it is great! My kids understand the cost of electricity now and I don't have to chase them to turn off the lights etc..
I looked at the TED and Centameter but what they don't tell you is that an electrician needs to install it. I was quoted an extra $160 just to install it!!

I set up the Powercost Monitor myself in about 20 minutes and it has been working flawlessly ever since!!!

I like that I can install the PowerCost Monitor myself without paying someone $80/hour to install it like with TED or Centameter. I set up mine in like 10 minutes. The PowerCost Monitor is a lot cheaper too. I feel you get more bang for your buck with this device.

After observing this item in use and being extremely impressed, I ordered one last week. It arrived yesterday and has several new features that my friend's did not have. It has a larger display, additional controls on the front and a history bar that compares current use to the maximum over the past 24 hours. I have not had a chance to really play with this but so far it looks great.

This is a fantastic product. I purchased a Kill A Watt to measure individual device usage and a PowerCost Monitor to measure total house power consumption from Weems Creek Solutions - www.weemscreeksolutions.com/energyconservationpowercost.htm. These two units work well together. I was able to move the Kill A Watt around to identify individual power guzzlers, and see its impact in real-time on total energy savings with the PowerCost Monitor. I have not yet received my electric bill since making these changes, but based on the PowerCost Monitor readout, I expect to see a 14% reduction in my electric bill going forward! Moreover, the money I save in my electric bill will more than pay for these devices in short order.

$135? So for the cost of 10 months worth of electricity service I can buy something that will save me money? Somehow I don't see this as a good deal.

I would like to hear from Doug the conservation methods that Doug already uses to keep his average monthly electrical bill under $14. In our area that is only about 150 KWH. I have never in my life had a single monthly bill that was as low as 10 times this amount.

Doug has already done a fantastic job in bringing his consumption down. In our area of the country the figures indicates that he is using less than 150 KWH per month. I have never been as low as 10 times that amount. Now I am well over 20 and I hope that the PowerCost monitor will help me find where all these energy hogs are hiding. If Doug could share some of the ideas that he has already implemented, it would be great.

I just purchased mine from Smarthomeusa.com ... I was surprised to get a DVD detailing the installation and usage ..... that dvd made this thing easy to use and I'm very happy with it. I reduced my usage by $.45 cents every hour so far ...... I can't wait to get my bill (For a change!!)

I just sent an email query to Blue Line Innovations asking them if the current model or future models will support Time-of-Use rates, like I have here from PG&E. I will buy one if it has that feature (which I couldn't find in their online user manual).

I purchased one of these (PowerCost Monitors) after seeing it on "Ask this Old House". I tried installing it yesterday and I am VERY disappointed in the sensor design. In other words it didn't work, I spent 1/2 to 1 hour aligning and realigning the sensor only to have it false trigger on imperfections on the edge of the power meter spinning disk. I have one more idea to try to make it read the spining disk edge better. This sensor looks like it works best with the electronic style power meters since there is no spinning disk from what I can see in the pictures in the manual. I will try out my idea as mentioned but if that fails I will be asking for a refund of my $$ and start looking at the TED or Centameter which DON'T rely on an optical sensor.

Just to clarify for everyone. The Centameter installs inside the electrical panel inside the Home, Condo or Apartment. Unlike the PowerCost Monitor and TED, the Centameter provides an instant feedback of electricity consumption because of the patented sensors that clip around the main electricity supply wires. They plug into a transmitter that sends the signal to the battery operated LCD wireless display.

An electrician is not required for installing the Centameter and I installed it in my home in less then 5 minutes.

I have installed the TED and the PowerCost Monitor in the past, however I much prefer the Centameter because it is an exact instant display of the electricity use, which provides the greatest tool for conservation and cost savings.

Purchased at www.power2save.ca

I have wasted a considerable amount of time with the PowerCost Monitor. The Install DVD was great, but after several hours of tweaking the install it just does not reliably work. I have had the display right next to the transmitter and get little transmitter signal. Batteries are fresh. Blue Line support was iffy on the first call, the second call they said they'd call me back. Still waiting. Will return and get TED, won't have transmission issues...