Smart Breaker vs. Electricity Usage Monitor: Which is Better for Home Power Management?

 

Has the amount of energy you use at home increased over time? Although energy is a necessary investment, if usage is not controlled, utility costs may exceed expectations. You can keep an eye on and control how much electricity you use. In reality, it will help you over a longer period of time. Millions of homeowners reluctantly pay their electricity bills each month without even giving them a second thought. The greatest way to save on your utility costs is to fully comprehend how your home uses electricity.

By offering more than just useful insights, a smart circuit breaker can assist you in setting up a full home energy management plan. In essence, it converts all of that data into an energy-saving strategy to lower your electric bill. Most homeowners should be encouraged to conserve energy simply by cost savings. Implementing energy-efficient techniques and technology can lower your yearly power bill for your house by anywhere between 5 and 30%.

Why should you monitor home power usage?

The first step in decreasing electricity waste or overconsumption at home is to monitor energy usage. A meter will help you keep track of how much electricity is used during the day, at different locations, and by different household equipment and gadgets. You can save money by managing or reducing your home's energy use. It also improves our energy security and lessens the pollution that comes from using non-renewable energy sources. You can protect the environment from overuse by reducing your energy consumption.

Soon enough, you'll start to recognize trends and feel inspired to make adjustments. Keep in mind that you may have between 6% and 23% of phantom power in your house, despite turning off light switches and lowering the thermostat. For example, devices such as TVs, stereos, cable boxes, and routers drain energy when not in use. Much plugged-in equipment requires electricity even while it is on standby. 

Smart Breaker vs. Electricity Usage Monitor: Which is Better for Home Power Management?

A power monitor may track peak vs. off-peak usage in addition to spotting phantom or vampire power. If you reside in a state where the cost of a kilowatt hour of energy varies based on the time of day that you use it. You may learn the most cost-effective times of day to run your dishwasher, do laundry, or use an air conditioner during off-peak times. Homeowners can make significant savings by tracking their energy use and reducing it with the help of smart technologies.

What is an Electricity Usage Monitor (EUM)?

There is a lot of potentials for home energy monitors to assist homeowners in saving energy and money. Home energy monitors can help you see how much electricity you're using and utilize the information to make energy-use decisions. The electrical panel in your home is where Wi-Fi devices called home energy monitors (HEM) are put. You can get real-time information on how much energy is being consumed in your home from several HEM devices.

The main goal of all EUMs is to get you to consider your energy consumption. Your gadgets and appliances can be evaluated according to how efficiently they use electricity daily, week, month, or year. They use smartphone apps to visually depict how much energy you use at home and how you use it. So you can identify exactly which electronic devices and appliances are consuming how much power. It's a rather straightforward sensor that attaches to a power cord that is attached to your electricity meter.

What are the advantages of EUMs?

Record of Electricity Usage

By utilizing a HEM, you can measure how much energy is being used by the gadgets or appliances you may have. Examples include toaster ovens, air conditioners, computers, and space heaters. According to statistics, 23% of the power consumption comes from Always On gadgets. It can be seen by a HEM. 

Potential for Energy Saving

The Sense monitor can identify your home's greatest energy consumers on average, saving you almost $100 annually. Whether you want to make your house completely energy-free or only save a few dollars, an energy monitor can be helpful. You may determine what to do about it once you identify the electrical equipments that use a lot of energy.

Real-time Data on Your Smartphone

The majority of home energy monitors available include a smartphone app. It is possible to receive an alert to find out when your children arrive home, whether the refrigerator door is open, and whether your sump pump is running. Easily monitor spikes, trends, and more from your phone.

What are the disadvantages of EUMs?

The purpose of a power consumption meter is to monitor your electricity usage. A meter is a good place to start. But it's vital to keep in mind that a power meter is only useful if you know what to do with the data being gathered. Setting up a smart circuit breaker in your green energy management system can enhance efficiency. You may maximize the benefits of the insights gathered from your power meter data.

What is a smart circuit breaker?

What is a smart circuit breaker?

A smart circuit breaker is essentially a EUM with smart technology. As a traditional circuit breaker, it regulates the flow of electricity from your electricity distribution system to the circuits in your home. What's more, it comes with an intelligent usage monitor with remote control.

So you can turn devices on and off from wherever you are and know just how much energy you're spending. The most sophisticated models can manage load across your entire microgrid. A smart electrical panel maximizes your home's overall energy system efficiency by automating power usage at the breaker level.

Additionally, a built-in Wi-Fi hub enables you to control everything from your smartphone. A WiFi circuit breaker panel gives you more information, flexibility, and control by presenting meter consumption readings for each circuit. By using your smartphone, you can identify which electrical appliances and devices use the most energy, enabling you to take proactive cost-saving measures.

Why are smart circuit breakers better than EUMs?

 

Why are smart circuit breakers better than EUMs?

 

So why not simply equip your home with an old-school EUM? Since they merely supply the information, it is up to you to find a solution. You must put an effective action plan into place if you want to slash costs to the bone. That is when intelligent circuit breakers demonstrate their value. Smart circuit breakers are at the forefront of green energy management and go beyond simple power usage monitoring. In addition to being intelligent, they are quick to respond, able to measure energy signatures from various appliances, and able to handle complex loads.

As well as acting as standard breakers, they also behave as power meters and sync with your smartphone to track consumption on each circuit in your house. They go above and beyond by first aiding in problem identification and then putting cost-cutting measures into action. They give you control over your power consumption, which is liberating. When it comes to energy management, monitoring, and conservation, a WiFi circuit breaker box makes a lot of sense. It can also be integrated to build a system that provides battery backup for the entire house.

What are the best smart breakers?

It’s a versatile and adaptable system that provides real-time statistics about your home's energy use in any situation for home energy management. With its intelligent technology, it anticipates issues and can be controlled from anywhere via a smartphone app. Are you trying to find a system that can handle the increasing demands of home energy management? The AT-ELE smart breaker allows circuits to react to grid disruptions, solar production, battery state of charge, power pricing, and even scheduling in order to increase home efficiency.

You can turn your solar battery into a personal microgrid and direct power as and where it's required with AT-ELE. How does it function? You can select which circuits to support energy storage using the AT-ELE WiFi circuit breaker. A smartphone app can help you manage your energy consumption and guard your home batteries before they run out.