The 4 Best Home Energy Monitors of 2022 – Treehugger

The base model of this popular brand is our top pick for its ease of use and full-featured capabilities. It tracks usage trends in real time by day, week, month, and utility billing cycle so you can figure out your patterns and make adjustments to how you use energy. You also can set energy goals by device or whole home, by day, or in dollars or watts. Over time, the device learns your home’s appliances based on their off/on cycles (typically, it learns 12 the first month, and 25 to 30 after a year of use). You even can add individual sensors to big users such as HVAC systems or pool pumps to keep a closer eye.

The app, which our tester found intuitive and easy to use, allows you to see what’s on when you’re not at home or send alerts in case you left the dryer on or the garage door open. The system can be used with smart plugs from TP-Link/Kasa and Wemo. For time-of-use plans, you can input your local rate zones for more accurate billing information.

“I was struck by the immediate utility of using Sense’s Power Meter display to simply keep track of consumption and identify how much specific devices were using. A quick flick of the Christmas tree lights on and off, for example, revealed that I’m a really bad Treehugger who absolutely should finish up our transition to all LED lighting soon.” ~ Sami Grover, Treehugger Writer

If you’re looking for a real-time monitor that’s budget-priced, this device has plenty of features at a reasonable cost. The unit monitors total usage in real time, but you can add sensor bundles (purchased separately) to monitor up to 16 individual circuits to keep an eye on specific appliances such as your furnace, refrigerator or dishwasher.

The free app can be set to alert you to times when you are using peak energy or when things like sump pumps don’t turn off or on. In some markets, such as California and parts of Pennsylvania, you may be able to use the Utility Connect device instead, which plugs into any outlet and wirelessly monitors energy use without your having to hire an electrician for installation.

Use the free app or website to monitor usage in real time, set a budget goal, and get feedback on energy costs for the day, week, or month with this solar-ready device at a budget-friendly price point. You also can get data from up to 5 circuits (modules sold separately) if you want to monitor specific devices.

Unlike most other monitors that are installed inside the electrical panel, this one places a battery-operated transmitter inside the panel to send information to a hub that’s plugged directly into your router so it’s typically a quick and straightforward installation.