How Do Energy Monitoring Devices Work?

Is your energy bill sky high and you want to find out why? You can find out which appliances in your home or business are using more than their fair share of electricity with energy monitoring.

Energy monitors record the electricity use in your home or building and let you see firsthand exactly how much is energy each appliance is using. Several kinds of energy monitors are on the market and they all work in slightly different ways. Two popular kinds are:

Individual-device monitors: These monitors gauge the real-time electrical use of individual appliances and other electrical devices.

Whole-house monitors: These monitors allow you to see how much energy your home is using by connecting to electric meters or boxes. Sometimes this may reveal a need for a rewiring job to be done on the house.

More sophisticated energy monitors collect energy use data over a set amount of time at the circuit level and relay the information to your smartphone or accessible website.

How Does Energy Monitoring Work?

An energy monitor uses the following basic steps to determine the electricity use in your home or business:

When you turn on an appliance, alternating current (AC) delivers energy to the appliance.
The AC current continually flows between the electrical outlet and your appliance through the power cord.
Changes to the AC current create a magnetic field around the power cable.
An energy monitor probe, which is placed on the power cable, creates a second AC current inside the power cable.
The secondary AC current information is sent to the energy monitor, which records the electrical use in watts or operating cost per hour.

What Are the Benefits of Energy Monitors?

As a business owner or homeowner, it literally pays dividends to invest in energy monitoring. With the cost of electricity rising, you can’t afford to operate energy-hogging appliances in your home or business. Additionally, energy monitors are an effective tool for those who want to reduce their carbon footprint and fight the devastating predictions of climate change.

Turning down your heater or air conditioner a couple of degrees or changing to LED lightbulbs can help a little bit, but monitoring the energy use from large appliances is the best way to dramatically cut your energy use.

With the most sophisticated energy monitors, you can easily find out how much electricity large appliances are using without having to go to the hassle of unplugging them. You can identify the energy use of the following large appliances and find out which ones may need repair or replacement without affecting productivity:

Deep freezers
Refrigerators
Walk-in coolers
Ovens
Cooktops
Washing machines
Dryers

National Heating & Air Conditioning Installs Energy Monitors in the Greater Cincinnati Area

National Heating & Air Conditioning offers a variety of energy monitors for your home or business. Our experts will help you assess your needs and recommend the energy monitor that’s right for you. From simple energy monitors to advanced internet-connected monitors, National has the right system for you. Call us at (513) 621-4620 or contact us online to learn more.