Energy Meter - need a recommendation

[JohnW2]

The wireless types that cover the whole house such as the Owl are totally inaccurate and in my opinion not fit for purpose. The reason being is that they only measure current and assume a fixed voltage and unity power factor neither of which happen in practice.

For the reasons you give, they are not fit for the purpose of making accurate energy measurements. However, they may, IMO, be adequate for the purposes (generally 'guidance', particularly in relation to changes) for which many people use them.

Kind Regards, John

 

[SimonH2]

However, they may, IMO, be adequate for the purposes (generally 'guidance', particularly in relation to changes) for which many people use them.

I'd agree with you IF they weren't sold as energy meters (or at least energy monitors) with no mention whatsoever of their inability to measure energy consumption.

 

[JohnW2]

However, they may, IMO, be adequate for the purposes (generally 'guidance', particularly in relation to changes) for which many people use them.

I'd agree with you IF they weren't sold as energy meters (or at least energy monitors) with no mention whatsoever of their inability to measure energy consumption.

I agree that a good few people may get misled. FWIW,. if you hunt, you'll find this disclaimer in Owl's Ts&Cs:

2.2 Our energy monitoring Products (and related services) provide an indication of energy consumed or generated. There are levels of tolerance in the methods used and we are not responsible for any discrepancy between energy measurements generated by our Products and those of your energy supplier.

... but I do doubt that, even if people are technically misled, the lack of accuracy really makes all that much difference to the sort of purposes that many/most people use them for. Indeed, in some situations, 'accuracy' might itself actually somewhat 'mislead' (or, at least, confuse) them - e.g. by ('correctly') indicating a change in energy usage that resulted from a change in supply voltage.

Kind Regards, John

 

[ban-all-sheds]

... but I do doubt that, even if people are technically misled, the lack of accuracy really makes all that much difference to the sort of purposes that many/most people use them for.

But what do they use them for?

"Oh look - my tumble drier is expensive to run"?

"Blimey - who'd have though that turning off lights in empty rooms would save money"?

 

[JohnW2]

But what do they use them for?

Goodness knows - but I suspect one of the common purposes is to discover about 'unexpected' or 'overlooked' uses of energy - like things left on standby, things left on continuously, aged fridges/freezers using excessive amounts of energy etc. - and for that sort of purpose accuracy is of no great concern.

Kind Regards, John

 

[winston1]

But people are misled. There was a thread on these forums not long ago where someone was complaining his microwave was using excessive energy in standby as measured by one of these.

 

[JohnW2]

But people are misled. There was a thread on these forums not long ago where someone was complaining his microwave was using excessive energy in standby as measured by one of these.

Was that due to malfunction of the monitor or what? I can't believe that failure to measure voltage and PF would result in such a 'misleading' reading being displayed!

Kind Regards, John

 

[ban-all-sheds]

Goodness knows - but I suspect one of the common purposes is to discover about 'unexpected' or 'overlooked' uses of energy - like things left on standby,

Or you could go round the house looking for things left on standby, which you'd have to do anyway because the monitor won't tell you where they are.

things left on continuously

Or you could go round the house looking for things left on continuosly (and can be turned off), which you'd have to do anyway because the monitor won't tell you where they are.

aged fridges/freezers using excessive amounts of energy etc

Which they do, and having a monitor tell you that they do won't help pay for a new one.

 

[winston1]

But people are misled. There was a thread on these forums not long ago where someone was complaining his microwave was using excessive energy in standby as measured by one of these.

Was that due to malfunction of the monitor or what? I can't believe that failure to measure voltage and PF would result in such a 'misleading' reading being displayed!

Kind Regards, John

No. I believe the microwave in standby looked like a largish capacitor.

 

[JohnW2]

But people are misled. There was a thread on these forums not long ago where someone was complaining his microwave was using excessive energy in standby as measured by one of these.

Was that due to malfunction of the monitor or what? I can't believe that failure to measure voltage and PF would result in such a 'misleading' reading being displayed!

No. I believe the microwave in standby looked like a largish capacitor.

I'll have to try to find that thread, since I find it very hard to believe that a microwave during standby could look like a capacitor anything like large enough to result in 'excessive' currents (even if not in phase with voltage) flowing.

Kind Regards, John