Energy saving project: confessions of an overnight energy geekLow Carbon Households

Written by The Living Team on 22 October 2011

: Image by jntolva via Flickr

Some snippets of conversation from our house late yesterday evening:

“Look what happens when I switch on the kettle!”

“Right, I’m going to try turning off the lights in the kitchen!”

“Oh my god, did you see what just happened when the washing machine came on?”

I know – it’s sad but true. With less time and energy than is contained in one kilowatt-hour, we had transformed into electricity measurement geeks.

I’d just got back from the launch of the Low Carbon Households project, which is being run by Lewes District Council. Fellow Living contibutor Jeremy and I will be monitoring our home electricity use for a year, as will more than 30 other households in the district.

An eco-eye out

We’ve all been equipped with an eco-eye mini, a neat little device that reveals what’s going on behind the scenes.

The idea of monitoring energy use may not push everyone’s button, but when you get one of these bad boys clamped onto your supply you can’t help but get involved with it.

It’s very simple. You plug the sensor into the mains or insert a couple of batteries (they came supplied with proper ones, Duracell AAs – when does that ever happen?). Then you lock it on to one of the wires going into your fusebox – no cutting or rewiring required.

Next you put batteries in the separate monitor screen, and set the time and the cost per unit of electricity (according to your last bill). And that’s it. You’re recording real-time use of power in kilowatt-hours, and can see how much your current use would cost over a week, month or year – as well as the likely CO2 emissions.

Within seconds, you’re wondering why the level is so low, or so high, and why it’s changing all the time. It’s a bit of a jolt.

We’d been told at the meeting by Climate South East’s Matthew Bird that the kettle would be a shocker, and he was right. Making a cup of tea sent our low, mid-evening reading shooting up five-fold. You quickly realise why the National Grid struggles to cope with the surge in demand during half-time in cup finals.

And…?

So, this is all very well. But will it actually change the way we behave?

Well, the early signs are: yes. Our kettle doesn’t have a water gauge, so it’s easy to overfill. I did exactly that this morning, and felt so unable to waste the hot water that I made a full cafetiere (which could be reheated later, for rather less power, in the microwave) and a Thermos flask of tea for my train journey later in the day.

I’ve eased off the monitor-watching a bit this evening, but it’s sat there, watching, waiting, and ready to reveal the true energy impact the next time we hoover, or dry the kids’ hair or leave the TV on standby.

And as they say, knowledge is power.

Anyone else out there got an eco-eye mini or similar smart meter plugged in to their home? Let us know your experiences of whether it’s helping you to save energy.

IMAGES by me

Home Energy Hub | Energy usage monitor review (guardian.co.uk)
Energy saving meter proves a business success for Green Energy Options (telegraph.co.uk)
Will smart meters help reduce energy bills? (guardian.co.uk)
You must get a home energy assessment. It will save you a ton of money. (slate.com)

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