CONSUMER
he cost of electricity
is steadily creeping
upwards, so it’s no
surprise that energy
monitors are becoming increasingly popular. But can
these devices really help us make
savings, or do they just become
part of the furniture?
Irish Country Living decided
to try one out. Evolved Energy
Solutions gave us the EnviR Energy Monitor (below), which sells
for €67.50. All we had to do was
install it and we were off.
Firstly, a sensor has to be
clipped to the meter and paired
with the monitor through a wireless signal, which was very simple
T
Turn on, tune in – and switch off?
(even for technophobes like this
writer). To calculate monetary
consumption, tariffs have to be
inputted – the average cost per
kilowatt in Ireland is 17 cent, so
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and date also need to be entered,
as the device calculates how
much energy is used in the morning, afternoon and night time.
The monitor displays in real-time
how many kilowatts are being
used and the cost of consumpWLRQSHUGD\DQGPRQWKpLFNLQJ
between the two different sets of
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usage has increased or decreased
as appliances are turned on and
off. Of course, simply plugging
in the monitor and watching the
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was a 1.5-litre kettle, which is a
surprisingly expensive appliance
that uses at 2.8 kilowatts per hour.
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minutes, it would
use 0.23 kilowatt,
or four cent.
Multiply this by
the number of
times a day it is
used over a year
ENERGY SAVING TIPS
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8
With energy costs soaring, more and more consumers are running the
rule over their electricity bills. Aisling Hussey trials an energy monitor
to see how gadgets in the home add up. And if you have a flatscreen
TV that is regularly left on standby, you will want to read on ...
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per year. The difference in time
of boiling a full kettle and just the
one cup needed should show the
saving you can make.
Nine “channels” are available,
meaning that appliances can be
plugged into individual sockets
called IAMs and paired with the
monitor. For example, IAMs can
be used with the fridge, kettle or
computer and the cost of each of
these items are monitored independently.
Data collected by the
monitor can be downloaded on to a computer,
which helps in identifying
peak usage and may be
useful when deciding
your electricity plan.
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ing, day and night usage is also
displayed on-screen.
With help from the monitor,
you will learn how appliances
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example, washing clothes at 30
degrees as opposed to 40 could
save you €15 per year.
Also, did you know that leavLQJDpDWVFUHHQ79RQVWDQGE\
overnight for 12 hours could cost
you over €200 per year? Taking
simple steps could result in serious savings – see the readings and
tips below. CL
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READINGS
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Washing machine
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16 March 2013 COUNTRY LIVING