An OWL Wireless Energy Monitor promises to reduce your home energy expenditure by up to 25%. What it doesn't tell you is that it will also turn you into an energy geek. For instance, turn on a light using an ordinary lightbulb and the monitor will tell you that the lit room is costing you 2 pence per hour. Replace that bulb with an energy-efficient one and the little screen will reveal you are now spending only 0.5 pence per hour! We're told that energy-saving lightbulbs use less electricity and so save money and produce fewer CO2 emissions. But seeing the numbers change on an energy monitor make it so much more real. Repeat the turning things on and off scenario all over your home and before you know it, you're an energy geek!
How it works
Basically one part of the kit is a transmitter which clips onto the main electricity meter cable, and the other part is a portable monitor. (There's really more to it but you can read about it on the company's website www.theowl.com. You can do it yourself, though, no need for an electrician.) You tell the monitor how much your electricity company charges, for Good Energy customers I can tell you it's 13.2 pence per kwh. The gadget monitors how much electricity is being used in your home and calculates what that means in hard cash. Watch the numbers shoot up when the kettle is switched on and you'll quickly choose to only boil the amount of water you need. The monitor also measures the temperature and humidity in your home, should you want to know that.
