£49.95
OWL Wireless Energy Monitor
The OWL Wireless Energy Monitor is an electricity usage monitor which shows you how much electricity you use at home, how much it costs you, and the level of harmful C02 emissions you are contributing to the environment through your electricity usage – a valuable tool providing you and your family with the information you need to reduce electricity consumption saving you up to 25% on your electricity bill while doing your bit for the environment.
Key features of the OWL include:
- Easy to install and programme in 5 minutes
- No need to change your existing meter - sensors clip directly onto your existing electricity meter's cabling
- Portable, easily moved from room to room
- Simple to use by all members of the family – push-button menus and easy to read, large LCD display
- Programmable to current and/or individual electricity tariffs
- Instant information about how much electricity you are your family are using, how much it is costing and how much is potentially wasted
- The monitor shows the level of greenhouse gases that are being generated by your current electricity usage
- 12 months warranty (excludes batteries)
- The monitor displays temperature and humidity levels to show the comfort level inside your home or office
- Audible alarm can be set to notify of excessive electricity usage
- Monitor can display £, $ and Euro
- Monitor can be used as a safety check to see if any electrical appliance has been unnecessarily left on before leaving your home or workplace
- The OWL Wireless Energy Monitor can be taken with you when you move house or sold as a feature of your existing home
How the OWL works
The OWL Wireless Energy Monitor comes with a monitor and display unit (compact, about the size of a small alarm clock), wireless transmitter, 6 batteries, a clip on meter sensor, and installation and usage instruction manual.
People who purchased the OWL Wireless Energy Monitor also bought the Eco kettle.
I was little nervous about trying this product out as I’m not one of the world’s most practical guys so the idea of connecting stuff around electrical cables was, in my head at least, a little off-putting but last month I took the plunge... a triumph of curiosity over reluctance!
As soon as I opened the box I was impressed – the instructions were both simple and comprehensive – instilling confidence, and enabled me to get the OWL up and running in 10 minutes. They don’t just deliver in terms of installation; they’re equally good on operation and ensured that navigating the display modes was easy too. Another plus point was the fact that all necessary batteries were included.
I then lost the entire evening going around switching every electrical thing off and on to see it’s impact. Some time ago we began a strict policy of replacing old school incandescent bulbs with energy saving bulbs but a solitary one did remain in the porch – to see the difference in consumption when this was switched on was really marked.
Is it worth the money? For me that’s a definite yes! I was able to understand that with all appliances switched off (that’s those which could be – I was leaving the fridge and freezer on) my consumption was around 3p per hour. Before going to bed however I was regularly noticing a reading of about 8p per hour. A quick check in the rooms of my teens and subsequent removal of phones and mp3 players from charge, coupled with the unplugging of pc’s and games consoles seemed to remedy the situation. I’m guessing this could save me around 40p per day and paying back the OWL in 125 days. Perhaps the greatest impact is in terms of education – seeing how the display rockets when the kettle is switched on has made me far more precise about the amount of water I boil each time, and after a month or so the need to raid the kid’s rooms to un-plug stuff were diminishing – good habits were beginning to form!
The OWL doesn’t have a memory function – so if you are keen to see just how much your energy consumption is behaving over time this won’t deliver (unlike others such as the Efergy or the Wattson) but if you want to have something simple and clear you can’t go wrong with this.
Please note I’m a member of staff – I’ve tried to be impartial in the review – but you should know this never the less.
Maggie
19th Jan 2008
Q: Does the Owl record ALL electricity being consumed at that minute in a house for example: freezer, television, washing machine, fridge, tumbler dryer, dehumidifer, kettle lights in all rooms and computer etc.
A: Yes - the OWL measures the electric power entering the meter in to your house/flat. The power reading covers all items in the house/flat that consume power at that moment. Andy
Patrick
13th Nov 2007
Q: What is the range on the transmitter please? I live in a block of flats - meter being on ground floor.
A: According to the manufacturers...30 metres in open area
(partitions, walls, and electrical appliances may affect reception range) John.
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