From website: Measure and record your power usage, monitor electricity cost and view greenhouse gas emissions off a connected device
I use a similar device, Doss branded from Radio Parts.
http://www.radioparts.com.au/ProdView.aspx?popup=1&Category=…
They are good value to see where you are using all that power.
Its surprising what just gets consumed in "stand-by"
Does it account for peak and offpeak when calculating cost? I bought the belkin one that was here last week and it only has one rate, so unless you only use it on one period it is inaccurate.
Being on the one rate I haven't had occasion to use their "night-time …(2nd tariff)" facility. However, in common with other units it doesn't allow for night-time & WEEKEND [& Public Holidays?] reduced rates.
Although the Time can be entered (default start time is midnight 0.00am) there is no provision to input a Date.
Great idea and an attractive price, however people have commented in the past about these types of meters being inaccurate. Does anyone have any experience regarding accuracy of these meters?
No experience with this Aldi one, but neither of two other meters I own are accurate for standby loads. Choice mag tested a batch of meters recently and from memory only a couple were really accurate for low loads - a very basic Belkin unit for about 50 bucks and another brand for two or three times that price.
http://shop.ata.org.au/cart.php?target=product&product_id=16…
Supposed to be accurate for standby loads.
You beat me to it, yes the Power-Mate is supposed to be very accurate compared to the cheap ones. I have one and am very happy with it.
All power meters are pretty good when it comes to resistive loads, like the good old incandescent light bulbs. Once you try to measure appliances with a high proportion of reactive power (most standby loads, appliances with motors like fridge or washing machine) only the good meters will give you accurate readings.
The difference can by quite substantial, a cheap meter showed close to 20W for one of my monitors in standby, while the Power-Mate showed less than 2W real power (with about 20W apparent power).
I had the reader plugged into the wall socket.
A powerboard plugged into that.
The monitor and computer plugged into the powerboard.
If I remember, I was getting differentials from board only, to board + monitor on standy by, of around 3W.
So … I've gotten readings for less than 4W for a lot of things … but I can't tell you how accurate the readings were.
i hope it saves me $12.99+
I had the ALDI webpage bookmarked after considering the Belkin deal, so now I will go get one seeming it is $4 cheaper this week :D
Actually if you're in Hurstville you can buy it for $8.99.
They had a stack left on the shelves when I bought one for myself yesterday. Took a photo and was going to post it actually but looks like I forgot and someone else posted this deal.
Pretty good value I say.
The hands down best one is the wattsclever/steplight, this is confirmed by 'choice' magazine and whirlpool enthusiasts;
http://steplight.com.au/education/monitor-energy/plug-in-ele…
The Aldi one reviews well, is fairly accurate and is exceptional value at this price!
I should contact Steplight about getting mine replaced under warranty. It failed after only 6 months and now reports zero usage regardless of energy consumption.
One of the bigger, more sophisticated and expensive WattsClever meters may have been tested by Choice and done well, but if this one was I certainly don't remember it as a standout for standby load accuracy.
I bought the Steplight one, I'm also going to buy another one of these and compare - I bet the internals are identical.
The Steplight one accurately measures inductive and capacitive loads. The common one from Jaycar reported my Panasonic Inverter microwave was using about 80 watts in standby! The Steplight one is far more accurate, at about 3 watts.
I've found the other brand is accurate for resistive loads - Incadescent and halogen light bulbs, oil/fan heaters. For everything else (computer, TV, fans, anything with a motor or switchmode power supply) it often reads much higher or lower than the Steplight one.
An excellent price if it's accurate
Oh god…I have wanted one of these for weeks! Landlord has been bitching!
75c for water purifier
35c for dryer
5c for washing
2c for computer
Fridge…I'm not so sure about
THIS THING IS PAYING FOR ITSELF!
Fridge is a 'WTF'! .00386c in stand-by, 3.75c when the compressor is getting up it!
In 16 hours it cost me 35c to run, not bad, not good, but not bad, the fridge is ancient! 54c a day…
Water purifier I can't do without, dryer…I'll just use the line and the fridge, I'm doing my maths to see if it's worth replacing.
(&^%$ ^%* &$^%$^% *^&^&&^$%%&$^ O(
WHAT THE HELL! The fridge uses 720kw/h a year! $180-200 a year in electricity!
Warning: I just picked one up at ALDI in Robina and it scanned at $17.
I showed them the website at $12.99… they decided to let me have it for $12.99 but said it was a one off.. results may vary.
the catalogue doesn't start till the 4th…
haha DOH !!
They have leftovers from last time. Clearance pricing varies store to store.
Stutter
The Doss one i have, has some extremely small print. Readable in bright light but i have used a magnafier to check some parameters on the screen.
Hopefully the Aldi one has Bigger print on the LCD.
It was good to check appliances and a PC's power consumption when running and then in "hibernate" mode.
i then did my own calculations for useage vs hours/cost etc.
I use 42kw/h per day (home business), so i need to find the "power leaks".
I bought one of these when I bought the screwdriver bit set on the 21st. It was on sale for I think about $14, seemingly marked down for clearance.
As an example of the readings for a CRT TV from about 1997 or so:
On: 65W
Standby: 8W
Off: 0.5W
From the manual:
| Item | Manufacturer claim |
|---|---|
| Input/output voltage | 240 V ~50 Hz |
| Max power input | max 10A |
| Voltage measurement range | 190 V - 270 V |
| Current measurement range | 0.001 A to 20 A |
| Power measurement range | 0.24 W - 2400 W |
| Frequency display | 46 - 65 Hz |
| Resolving power | 0.001 W |
| Consumption measurement | 0 - 999,999 kWh |
| Greenhouse gas emissions | 0 - 999,999 kg |
| Display time | up to 9,999:59 h:min |
| Consumption representation | 7 days and/or 7 months |
Frequency: 45-65 Hz, at standard room temperature, distortion factor of voltage/current < 15%, measuring current >= 1.00A/sinusoidal. Frequency = 50 or 60Hz, no electrical switching
| Item | Manufacturer claim |
|---|---|
| Volts | under 3% of the measured value |
| Amps | 3% of measured value ±0.001 A |
| Watts | 3% of measured value, ±0.5 W |
| Power factor | 3% of measured value, ±0.01% |
| Energy consumption | under 1 W |
Unbelievable, I paid $26 for one on eBay last year.
How does this work? one per household or you will need one in each outlet?
You just use it to test. I don't think it's meant to be used 24/7. I certainly wouldn't be putting one of these between the wall and my surge protected powerboard as it may void the replacement warranty on your powerboard if anything were to happen whilst the monitor was plugged in.
Disconnect your appliance, plug this into the wall, plug your appliance into the face of it, flick the power switch, fire up your appliance and go into shock :)
I am going to use this to see if the landlords flintstone appliances need to be replaced! Apparently a 20 year old fridge and washing machine doesn't use that much electricity…might downgrade to a nice bar fridge.
Bar fridges are electricity suckers! They're very inefficient appliances. You may be better off getting a small upright fridge.
Keyword on 'might'. If I'm looking at buying an electricity meter, usage is obviously important to me :) So I'd be checking before I bought anything!
I'm using a 40 year old fridge and freezer. Upright, single freezer compartment on top with a single fridge compartment below.
It cycles through periods of fan spinning and fan not spinning, for 233W and 18W according to my Aldi meter from last year.
From memory, someone I spoke to had a 10 year old fridge and they also said it used around 220W when the fan was spinning.
Can you post your results when you get them?
Using one of these http://shop.ata.org.au/cart.php?target=product&product_id=16… I got the following results:
Average Watts over 24hr period on 30 degree day:
LG Fridge (10 years old, Freezer top/Fridge bootom 169/364 litres): 72.5W
Whirlpool (2 years old, side-by-side, 220/420 litres): 62.6W
Also,
turning appliances at the wall is not as important as people claim it to be. It all depends on the appliance age and design. Eg, in m case:
Average Watts for appliance in Standby and cost per year based on 22.55cents/kWh:
Sony 40" LCD TV (3yrs old): 0.1W = $0.17/yr assuming 21hrs/day on standby
Samsung 40" LCD TV (6yrs old): 0.7W = $1.04/yr assuming 17hrs/day on standby
Brother Laser Printer (new - Ozbargain :): 0.6W = $1.19/yr assuming 24hrs/day on standby
WD Live HD (3mths old - Ozbargain): 0.3W = $0.59/yr assuming 24hrs/day on standby
Panasonic Microwave (6 yrs old): 3.5W = $6.92/yr assuming 24hrs/day on standby
Panasonic VCR (10 yrs old): 5.7W = $11.26/yr assuming 24hrs/day on
standby
ASRock Media PC (2 yrs old): 3.2W = $6.19/yr assuming 23.5/hrs/day on standby
…that hopefully gives you some idea. Call me stingy but that's why I'm Ozbargainer :) but I've had almost every single appliance audited in my house.
Yes, as your results show, older designs tend to be more careless about standby power (microwave and VCR). I had a CRT TV that had a standby draw of 7W which is about $14/year using your rates. I decided to switch it off with the front button instead of the marginal convenience of the remote once per evening.
This isn't really a complete comparison - you need to consider the amount of time it's drawing the higher power vs the lower power. Leave it run for a few days and compare the daily kWh figures.
I'd thought fridge efficiency had come a long way, so I'd be surprised if it's comparable.
Before you neg me, ask yourself whether or not you need this piece of landfill
Dude, I think this should be mandatory for every house :)
I don't think I have needed any of the items I've got through OzBargain, no different now (for me).
Totally agree. I switch off the Entertainment unit at the power point before I go to bed, the microwave is used once or twice a day and after each use is turned off at the power point. The computer is turned off when not in use, and sometimes put into sleep mode when needed multiple times throughout the day. Really the only thing that is kept plugged in 24x7 is the refrigerator, alarm clock, the modem and the telephone (because I use VoIP).
Follow these basic rules and you should be fine. Just dont keep stuff on for the sake of it.
+1 but you are one of the smart ones, probably your mother/grandma/elder relative taught you to switch things off at the power point because that's what people did in the old days before remotes and standby. Other people need to be shocked by seeing the $ figures.
hibernate your computer instead of sleeping it, if you'll be walking away from the computer for like 15 mins or more :)
Looking at the figure above (WalterBiH) for many of these things it isnt worth turning them off. Actually you probably cause more ware and tare on the switch resulting in needing it replaced sooner.
I guess the good thing about a product like this is you can find any devices that do use significant power while on standby.
Wear and tear on a switch?? Not even remotely close to being an issue at all. A power switch will last years and years being used constantly. When was the last time you replaced a light switch, they are the same as a power point switch?
It has been well documented that the heat cycles from turning a PC off and on are negligible as by the time the components could wear out from this, the PC would most likely be in the recycle center anyway from being ancient technology!
Great advice from Trishool, certain things need to be left on, but most things can be switched off or set on a timer (i.e router/modem)
My usage;
Before energy audit: 7.5 Kwh per day
My average use after an energy audit 2 months ago: 5.5Kwh per day
I use 'Iconsume' app to monitor average use on my ipad.
http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/iconsometre/id398973441?mt=8
More time is needed to get an exact average, usually one full year will do it. I estimate that I will have saved about $150 a year minimum, and more if(when) power prices increase.
Wear and tear on a switch?? Not even remotely close to being an issue at all. A power switch will last years and years being used constantly.
Not if you have your house rented out. Lifespan seems to quite short when used by tenants.
@Trishool, I would be interested to know what your power bill is or you daily power consumption is.
+1 for being so dilligent in your power usage
My recent bill was $180 from AGL, and that's after my 10% discount on usage (not on service cost). Billed quarterly for an apartment with:
Have a 46" LCD (not LED) tv at home, along with an Xbox 360, PS3, Desktop computer, Air Con (Cooling only), 1 clock radio, 1 router/modem, 1 base station phone and 2 additional handsets, 2 table lamps, 1 floor lamp, 3 pedestal fans, 2 fan heaters, 1 refrigerator, and a 1100W microwave.
Obviously, not all rooms and all items are used at the same time throughout each day, but we dont leave lights or anything turned on in a room when not in use. All the lights use energy saving bulbs.
However the biggest thing that adds to my bill is the lights down the driveway, visitors carpark, garden areas, and within each building. The electricity usage is at each quarter totalled and then divided amongst 5 blocks of 8-10 apartments. If this wasn't the case though, I'm quite sure my electricity bill would be no more than $150 per quarter. Funny thing though, my bill previous to this one was almost $100 more even though at that time we werent using the heaters or the AC, and our general usage was pretty much the same.
I wonder how much power this device itself uses.
Buy two and plug one into the other. :) Actually not much. According to Fergus's post, less than 1W is claimed. Which is consistent with its cool temperature and what you would expect of such electronics.
You don't have to buy one all for yourself. I have offered to lend mine to friends. It certainly helped me identify which things I should switch off at the power point and which ones I don't have to worry too much about.
Gonna buy one. thanks op
Get one that does the whole house rather then just testing single appliances.
Wouldn't it be better to get both? How will you know what to reduce?
turn the appliance off and see what difference it makes on the screen.
not having a go, these have their own usefulness, but can be extremely inaccurate.
Just do your research before forking out the hard earned on something that can read nonsense figures.
There will be ones coming out in the near future that monitor the infra red LED pulses that smart meters emit, and they will be far more accurate than the ones that clip onto the power line, not to mention a lot easier to install.
The last Aldi powermeter I brought was difficult to figure out and wouldn't read my fridge usage(possibly coz fridge turns on & off).
So it was frigid?
So if it says I am usin too much electricity, and I supposed to switch it off and let the meat in the fridge rot?
Work out if you should replace your ancient fridge, get a smaller one, or put up with the expense.
im pretty sure the instruction booklet will advise eating the meat rather than letting it rot…
that, or its just an information tool and you can then use the information as you see fit..
Its more about being aware of your power usage. Mostly standby products eating power with no use.
If you found out certain appliances were consuming a lot of power, you may do the math and find out that it would be better to upgrade an appliance.
A nice new LED TV might subsidise itself within a few years compared to an old LCD or plasma.
I found this guide useful when comparing watts used into dollars when doing an energy audit of my home.
http://www.mhi-inc.com/Converter/watt_calculator.htm
Put in your watts, and time you use them, and calculate.
IE You use a 100W downlight array 2 X 50W globes for 4 hours a day
100W X 4 hours = 0.4KWH per day X 365 Days = 146 KWH @ say $0.20 per KWH cost (conservative) thats $29.2 dollars per year.
If you installed 2 X 6W LED downlights;
12W X 4 hours = .048KWH X 365days = 17.52 X $0.20 = $3.50
Saving in this scenario $25.7
If you have a positive solar feed in, and are getting $0.31 per KWH, you save more
146KWH - 17.52KWH = 128.48KWH saved and credited @$0.31 = $39.83 per year
Multiply this across your home, and you can save a LOT of money.
This is a not exactly serious reply to ca6leguy
Other alternatives:
- only buy products fresh for consumption that day
- switch your stored groceries to ones that don't require refrigeration
- do a deal with a neighbour to use their fridge
Aldi = MSY. They don't have these in stock when ever I have the time to visit the store :)
I thought it was pretty clear that you either turn up on the sale day or gamble if it will be there on the day you do go.
hahahaha that's funny. Aldi=MSY.
I was at MSY Clayton yesterday and as usual they had no stock of the parts I wanted, although their website showed availabile units.
Scorptec just got another customer. Reliability and 30 mins wasted instore are worth $4 difference!
I have seen all these bargains list here for Aldi but have not managed to obtain them. I been to the store on 3 occasions in the past with no luck but just a waste time and afford.
You do realise that if everyone buys all the stock in the store then there is no more stock left?
I'm not sure what you expect, you snooze, you lose.
If you actually put effort in, you can get anything Aldi sells every time.
Somehow it's now a constitutional right that shops should always keep a bargain until you arrive? :) Here's a tip, go at closing time the night before the sale starts when they are restocking.
this man is a liar, do not do this if you live in Brisbane.
I don't know about you in Brissy, but the last time they had something selling from Thu morning, I went on Wed night and the goods were already on the shelves and they were happy to sell it to me. Naturally it depends on the store. So who are you calling a liar now. :P
PS: Sorry if I've revealed your tactic. :)
PPS: Do not do what I say if you are in Sydney. It will only work for me. :)
Went there in the afternoon and again sold out. Worst than MSY.
Are we buying this to cut carbon emmision or save on electricity cost? Replacing our ancient electricity leeches will in the end cost more not to mention emit unnecessary carbon during manufacturing.
You really don't need to buy this as you can google just about any type of appliance and get an idea of its consumption figures.
I figure if you;
swap all your globes for led or cfl,
turn off everything at the wall that you don't use with the exception of most modern tv's that use bugger all,
put your wireless router on a timer to turn off when no one is likely to be home.
and simply not use electricity needlessly, you will save money and reduce your carbon footprint. You really don't need a device like this to know standby figures, just turn the things off!
I can see the use to compare a fridge, but if you know your 15year old fridge is chewing up the power as its running a lot, seals are old and hard,etc, you could have an idea that it may be using about 800-1000 kwh per year (800 X .22 cents = $176 per year), where a newer fridge could use 500kwh per year = $110
Roughly $60 a year better off if prices stay constant at $0.22
It depends on so many factors, how hot your climate is, how many kids mill around the fridge opening it, if the fridge is installed in an air conditioned room, how old it is, how big it is, etc etc
It may well be more environmentally friendly and pocket friendly to keep your current fridge until it dies before replacing it.
Really depends on the individual situation.
There is some good reading here, take it with a grain of salt though;
http://michaelbluejay.com/electricity/refrigerators.html
Google is fine — but what current does your specific appliance use? Google won't tell you that :)
It can if you are a good googler! but its no where near as much fun!! I had completed an 'energy audit' of my home a couple of months ago and I got the figures pretty much spot on without a power meter, but it has been interesting going around today and seeing exactly how much power devices use.
I guess my main point was that its sort of irrelevant to see this data unless you are interested in it, all you need to really do is switch things off, get in that habit, and save money.
The biggest saver I have installed is LED lighting, 5-9W can replace 50-60W globes nicely, a bit of an outlay initially but my goodness its going to cut the power bill down a lot!
My average daily kwh usage is now steady around 6kwh per day.
Some folk are so serious on this thread…for $13 it will be great to check out my various appliances and get an idea of their power usage. Then I can pass on to family and friends too…the $13 purchase that just keeps on giving!
Regift?
Milliwatt? Um I think you might want to do some research before posting such rubbish. If you want to pay for KILOWATTS of power you don't benefit from go right ahead, but most of us here will try very hard to reduce money paid to a power company.
Go post your rants on a rugby forum.
I picked mine up last night, and it works very well, very happy with it :)
Checked it today (Saturday)
Aldi Toombul doesn't have it
Aldi Lutwyche does
One of the 6 I bought this year got the large screen scratched. Perhaps a screen protector & keeping the unit out extreme heat would help.