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[Ain't Nobody Here]

You can get an elecrticity monitor for free if your supply comes from Scottish Hydro electric

 

Really . I'm with them - how do I get one???

[ali-s]

When we moved house we received a leaflet from Scottish Hydro about a scheme called "Better Plan".

 

"Better Plan" is a way to help reduce electricity usage. We joined up and recievied the monitor, two energy saving lightbulbs and got £25 cash back. I cannot find the leaflet now and OH joined us, I am sure that if we do reduce our usage we are entitled to more cash rewards. I will ask OH about the plan when he gets home and get back to you.

 

There is a phone number to call Scottish Hydro advisers in the monitor booklet 0845 076 0523.

 

I actually can't see how we will reduce our electrity usage as we now have storage heaters where as in our other house we had oil fired heating.

[Ain't Nobody Here]

Thanks Alison .

[ali-s]

Seems I gave you pretty much the correct info, so maybe give Hydro Electric a call

[Ain't Nobody Here]

Thanks, I will .

[Ain't Nobody Here]

Gave Hydro Electric a call today. I'm now on the Better Plan and my energy thingy should arrive soon . Thanks for the tip, Alison, I'm looking forward to finding the "baddies" amongst my gadgets!

 

 

 

I have a question re my V+ box which maybe someone can answer.

 

When I put it in standby (which I do religiously every night) a huge blue light comes on (not very green ). Is switching it off at the wall advisable or practical?

[ali-s]

Glad you managed to get a monitor ANH

[Helly Welly]

ANH, we don't turn our freeview box off at the wall because any updates to it come dring the wee small hours. It's a pain that the companies feel it's necessary to have blooming great big lights to tell you sometings on standby. When you get your energy monitor though, you'll probably find that the amount of energy used for that light is small enough that it doesn't register. It's just that if every appliance is always left on standby, then it becomes a problem.

[Ain't Nobody Here]

Thanks for that, Helen . It's always bugged me because the huge light for standby makes it look more "on" than when it's actually on .

[Guest]

I wonder what readings people are getting? When I go to bed at night, the monitor usually says 1.7. Once in the morning after breakfast it was 0.7. I'd just like to compare what other people's 'normal' is.

[Ain't Nobody Here]

I will report my findings when my monitor arrives .

 

Just (re)discovered that I can't switch off my washing machine without pulling it completely out from under the worktop .

[Olly]

I wonder what readings people are getting? When I go to bed at night, the monitor usually says 1.7. Once in the morning after breakfast it was 0.7. I'd just like to compare what other people's 'normal' is.

 

I assume this is KW, Ginette? I had trouble working out the pence/hour because it's a staggered tariff, and I'll need to adjust it anyway now prices have gone up. but I've been using that as my standard - I'll have to check what it says in KW.

 

I've been surprised at how much things like the halogen spotlights in the bathroom put it up by - there's a noticeable difference, and it's stopped me leaving them and the kitchen spotlights on! I always thought things like that were low usage.

 

I'll switch to KW and report back.

[Guest]

Sorry. It's pence per hour. In Kw it's 0.13. I should have said!

[fluffymuppet]

The lowest I've ever seen ours go is 0.9p per hour, and that's at night when we've turned everything off and the fridge isn't in a cooling cycle.

[Helly Welly]

I can get to 0.0 but only if the fridge isn't cycling at the time. Otherwise it's 3.2 pence per hour when we pay 10.4 pence per kw hour.

[Lesley]

I'd be interested in getting one of these - although I think I may have to lie down in a dark room for a very long time if I do

 

Our meter is about a hundred yards from the house though and I read that these have a working distance of 30m. The electricity cable then comes underground up to the house, via two outbuildings.

 

I assume it needs positioning right by the meter and not on the cable as it enters the house into the fuse box? - I think I may have to look at the others, like Wattson and Efergy - which will cost more

[Olly]

to be honest Lesley I'm not sure ... I don't know quite how it works. You clip it to the cable, but I don't quite know how it picks up the energy usage. Like most people, my fuse box and meter are very close to each other, and 30m would take me most of the way up the garden, so it's not a problem!

 

Might be worth ringing the manufacturer to see if it would work just on the cable, and not near the meter?

[Lesley]

Thanks Olly - I think I will.

[Ain't Nobody Here]

Mine's not arrived yet, but I'll be interested to see where I have to position it. My meter/fusebox is outside the house in a box on the wall - don't know how easy it'll be to keep monitoring it .

[Lesley]

I think you have a part that fits near to the meter and another part which you use insdie to monitor everything?

[Guest]

That's right - a monitor inside which you can carry around with you if you wish.

 

DH can't find the instruction booklet. He has been looking for it so that he can answer your questions Lesley.

[Ain't Nobody Here]

That's good news - thanks guys . I had visions of me with my torch in a howling gale, peering at the meter outside and shouting to the family "switch the iron off now!!" .

[abwsco]

I've found that my youngest - aged 16 - is going around turning things off when she sees the monitor is going above 8p per hour so that's a bonus

[Guest]

Lesley - we have found the booklet but I have also found it in pdf for you on the Owl Monitor website.

 

http://www.theowl.com/resources/OWL%20113%20User%20Manualv3-small-1.pdf

[Olly]

Ginette - just to update, I turned mine over to KwH, anyway the 'price per unit' was a bit meaningless since it's all gone up so much!

 

My lowest, e.g. just before leaving the house in the morning, is 0.16. That would include the central-heating clock and boiler controls, the fridge-freezer, a freezer in the garage, and various items that cannot be turned off either because I can't reach the switch or because they need to be on for clocks and things.

 

Just had a look now, and with three lights and the computer on, it's 0.67. I've been quite surprised at how much the computer seems to use, actually (another reason I shouldn't spend so much time on this forum!).