Energy Management

As the saying goes “if you can’t measure it, you can’t manage it

It’s much easier today to measure your power usage, there are a number of different ways ranging from the freely available broad brush approach to more specific options that allow you to measure individual devices.

When you measure your power usage you take back your control and you can choose how much you use. Measuring your power use will also help you to understand not only your current cost but also any future reductions you enjoy by changing your habits or your devices.

The great benefit is that you get to choose what you do and how much you spend.

Retailer Smart Metering

There is a programmed rollout of smart meters in NSW which is replacing old meters with new Smart Meters. These Smart Meters allow the retailers much more control that they previously had and even allow for remote meter reads so hopefully no more bill shock from their ridiculous estimates. The real benefit for your, the consumer is that many retailer allow you access to your energy usage in close to real time.

by logging into your retailers website you can find the current usage section which will give you a graph of your current usage. it is usually in blocks of 30minutes and it doesn’t give you your real time usage but you can use it so see when you take power and by being more aware of what you are using at the time you can make the decision to turn off unnecessary devices to make savings.

Plug in Smart Devices

In recent times there has been a proliferation of plug in smart switches that allow you to connect to them and turn your devices on and off. There are many different types available with varying levels of complexity and function. One of the most useful functions of many is that they can measure power usage and provide close to real time monitoring.

This is a great way to check on the power usage of individual devices such as clothes driers and other plug in appliances. Just plug in the smart switch, plug the appliance into the smart switch and when you used the appliance it will record the power usage. it is then a simple calculation to work out exactly what that device cost to operate for that cycle.

I have used this method to help me to understand the cost of using the clothes drier and also used it to schedule my washing machine to run when my solar system is producing so I am washing my clothes for free.

Smart switches are a great option for control and measurement of power, if you can’t or don’t want to set them up for yourself we can help you with that, just ask.

Whole Home/Business Monitoring

For those who want the best level there are a number of integrated systems that allow for monitoring of the whole installation, individual circuits and even down to individual power points and light switches. They also can monitor your solar output if you have it and let you know what you generated and what you used at the same time.

They can even make recommendations about where you can save and some will suggest better energy plans based on your usage.

There are a number of different options and its depends on what you want but also your specific setup and needs. We can come and do a safety inspection and let you know what some of your options might be so you can decide what will suit you best.