ENERGY USE UNDER CONTROL

There is a growing consensus that lower energy consumption equates to a healthier planet and environment. Most of us have a general idea why our energy bill is so high, but we don’t always act to reduce it. Good habits are really the only way to cut your bill, and now you can better inform and enable those habits with an increasing variety of energy monitors.

The Sense Energy Monitor shown here provides the unique ability to map out various devices in your house and gives detailed usage data on each. Once it’s installed, you use its phone app to reveal your usage habits and that of any power-hungry devices. The app then enables you to set up usage goals and alerts you if you’re off track. It also sends alerts for any conspicuous consumption. It’ll let you know if your garage door opens or if your sump is operating properly in a heavy storm.

For those with solar installations, the Sense Solar version gives real-time and historical solar production vs. usage comparisons, in addition to sell-back and grid usage calculations.

If you’re confident working inside an electrical panel, you’ll find that the Sense is a straightforward install. If you hire an electrician, the cost should be about that of an hour-long house call.

The key to reducing energy use is to identify those “always-on” devices, the inefficient or malfunctioning or even surplus appliance, like a chest freezer you don’t use. Couple this with the added contentment from real-time safety monitoring away from home, and the Sense Energy Monitor is a truly smart investment at $300 ($350 for the Sense Solar).