Analysing electricity consumption and planning solutions

Energy conservation might seem an hard challenge for those who already pay close attention to their electricity usage, but technology provides us with the tools that can help us achieve just that.

One such tool is the Watt meter, a device that can not only help you monitor your energy usage but also change your habits and significantly reduce your electricity usage.

What’s a Watt meter

A Watt meter, also called a power meter or energy monitor, is a device designed to measure and display the electrical power consumption of various appliances and devices in your home. It provides real-time information on the wattage and voltage being used by the appliances you plug into it. This allows to gain deeper insights into your energy usage and identify opportunities to cut down on consumption.

Identifying energy sinkholes

By monitoring the wattage of different devices, I was able to quickly identify the energy sinkholes in my home. As expected, the highest consumptions come from large appliances like the refrigerator and the washing machine. Knowing that as appliances age they have the tendency to become significantly less efficient than what registered on their label or manual, I was pretty reassured not seeing great discrepancies.

Tracking phantom loads

Many devices draw power even when they are turned off or in standby mode. These are known as “phantom loads” or “vampire power.” A watt meter can help you identify these, prompting you to unplug or use smart power strips to cut off power when not in use.

Goal setting is easier with data

As a designer, I look at many things (probably too many) as projects. What I’ve learned about projects is that evidence-based choices go a much longer way than other approaches.

Having some precise metrics allows for a better design of a path forward.