Why finding the best electricity consumption meter matters?

Electricity costs money. An efficient electricity consumption meter can help you cut on expenses, massively, if you know what it does and how to decipher your bills. Glimp will help you find the best device in no time and save considerable amounts of money with ease. 

Compare power prices at glimp today!

The modern home uses far more appliances than was the case in the past. Barely your smartphone and PC consumption make a huge difference. The so called term “vampire load” is dreaded nowadays more than ever, with modern society demanding more devices and appliances. All of them use electricity even in a standby mode (hence the term), making up to 5% of your overall electricity consumption. A scary discovery, but not completely unexpected. To cut on your bills, you simply need to measure how much electricity you are using and see how to go about decreasing vampire load. 

Smart meters decrease your bills dramatically.

A good meter is needed to read electricity accurately and economically. Following from the previous topic, metering vampire load is a good starting point. There's a number of satisfactory tools to be found online - e.g. Energy Vampire Calculator from Duke Energy will give you a good idea on how much your devices and kitchen appliances are draining your bill.  

A plug-load electricity usage monitor is the easiest way to alleviate the costly outcome. Some popular choices include:

• P3 Kill a Watt EZ  – available in big box stores and on Amazon. It calculates how many kWh selected devices will use in a day, week, month, and year. 
• Kill a Watt Control  – an advanced plug-load usage monitor. Not only does it do the metering, but it also allows for applying a pre-set on/off schedule. 
• Digi XBee Smart Meter  – a smart outlet that allows for remotely turning off lights and similar. 
• Belkin WeMo Insight Switch  – probably provides best value for money out there. Features remote device power control, programmability, and IFTTT support. 

Compare power provider deals for best results – lower charges are always a good idea. There are 35 power companies nationwide, as follows: 

1.  Black Box Power 
2.  Bosco 
3.  Contact Energy 
4.  Ecotricity 
5.  Electra Energy 
6.  Electric Kiwi 
7.  Energy Online 
8.  Flick Electric 
9.  Genesis Energy 
10.  Giving Energy 
11.  GLOBUG 
12.  Grey Power Electricity 
13.  Hopsta 
14.  Just Energy 
15.  King Country energy 
16.  MAD Power 
17.  MegaEnergy 
18.  Mercury Energy 
19.  Merdian Energy 
20.  Mighty River Power 
21.  Nova Energy 
22.  P2 
23.  Payless Energy 
24.  Powershop 
25.  Prime Energy 
26.  Property Power 
27.  Puaua to the People 
28.  Pulse Energy 
29.  Simply Energy 
30.  Switch Utilities 
31.  Tiny Mighty Power 
32.  Trust Power 
33.  Trustpower 
34.  Utilise 
35.  Wise Prepay Energy 

Finally, for those of you interested in whole-house monitoring tools, there are several systems to help you out. The Ted Energy Detective Pro Kit, Neurio's Home Electricity Monitor, and the Blue Line Innovations PowerCost Monitor are among the affordable yet effective ones. 

After alleviating vampire load, time to compare wholesale power prices NZ and switch providers, if needed. Then, it's on to obtaining a good electric meter. 

Types of electric use meters

Many types of electric use meters are to be found out there, so best start by asking yourself what kind you’d prefer. There are basic meters, smart meters, and wireless electricity monitors. Basic meters read kWh on the LCD display, while smart meters read the meter remotely and automatically over the internet. 

Some of the recommended online energy monitors are kits from Engage (Engage Hub Kit, Engage Hub Solo, and Engage Elite Hub Kit + RCS come to mind). Recommended basic meters include Elite Classic + MSE, e2 Classic 2.0., a variety of EKM-Omnimeters, and 120/240 Volt Pass-Through kWh Meter. 

Regardless of the type of electricity consumption meter you choose, familiarizing yourself with your bills is the first step you must take. Boring as it may appear, knowing how to read the figures will, ultimately, make all the difference when it comes to decreasing your electricity consumption. 

Firstly, there are two contract types: standard plan and low-user plan. Standard plans' low variable charge is priced at 20 to 30 cents per kWh, and low-user plans' high variable charge - at 25 to 40 cents per kWh. The low daily fixed charge is up to 30 cents a day. Daily fixed charge  is the cost of network maintenance. Variable rate charge is the cost of the electricity you actually use. It implies various charge types, depending solely on your meter. These are: 

1.  Anytime - the same variable rate at all times. 
2.  Controlled - lower rate during off-peak hours. 
3.  TOU (time-of-use) - different rates for different times of day. The highest rate is during peak hours and the lowest - during off-peak hours. Requires a smart meter. 
4.  Night only - selected appliances get supplied only from 11pm to 7am. 
5.  Day/night - high variable rate is charged from 7am to 11pm; low variable rate - from 11pm to 7am. 

Again, knowing wholesale power prices NZ will help you massively. With so many plans to choose from, not switching to the cheapest one would be a waste, meter or not. Compare plans today at Glimp to get started. 

Choosing the best electricity consumption meter

Choosing the best electricity consumption meter is a matter or preferences and finances, rather than a matter of quality. All of the abovementioned meters offer good value for money, so it is up to you to define your budget and decide what you’d rather have – a basic or a smart meter. If the TOU variable rate charge is your goal, you will need a smart meter. Hence, best choose a plan first, then do what you can to decrease vampire load. 

Compare power prices at Glimp today!