Are you wondering how much energy you use on a daily basis in your home? Are you looking for an opportunity to reduce your usage but are unsure where to start?
Measuring your energy usage is essential if you want to know how much, when, and where you use the most in your home. Many people are, however, unsure how to find out how much they have used. Lite Energy is here to explain why measuring your energy usage is important and how you can do it simply.
Why should you measure your energy usage
It’s becoming more and more difficult to know how much energy you have used due to the countless devices found in a home. In the past, it was simply lights, the radio, a television and a few appliances. Today, however, there are computers, the charging phones and tablets, security systems, massive TVs and countless other devices and appliances that need energy to function.
Knowing exactly how much each item uses is the only way to find the so-called vampire energy in your home or devices that use your electricity even in standby mode. Not many people know this, but it’s true! Even when something is turned off, it can still be using your power, especially if it’s connected to the internet or doing some updates. Saving energy on your devices and appliances today can be challenging. Still, at least if you know that some suck your power away unnecessary, you can make some small changes in your home to become more energy-efficient.
How is energy priced and measured?
Electricity is priced per kilowatt-hour (kWh), which is often called a unit. You can either have an analogue, digital or smart meter in your home, which all showcase numbers, or the kWh you have used. You get charged a specific amount for each unit you have used per month, depending on what type of electricity plan you are on for what company.
An average New Zealand household spends around $200 on their power bill per month and uses approximately 22 kWh per day on electricity, according to the MBIE. Knowing how much precisely a device or appliance in your home uses will require you to have a smart meter, which tracks your electricity usage daily and sends it to an app or website to your phone. This gives you a more accurate number but often doesn’t help you break down how much each device in your home is using. An analogue or digital meter is usually only read every few months by your electricity provider, making it impossible for you to know how much you have used daily. If you have this device, an option is to use an electricity usage monitor, which you can plug into an outlet and which lets you know exactly how much a specific device is using. This is a great way to find out more about the energy trends in your home.
There are more advanced meters on the market that you can even program to turn off electricity based on your schedules, however, these become more costly, and it may be a better option to invest in a smart home instead.
How Lite Energy can support your energy efficiency
At Lite Energy, we suggest that if you want to stay in the know about how much power you use regularly, you invest in a smart meter or an electricity usage monitor. However, if you want to take your energy efficiency even further, we can help you create a smart home, which has smart plugs with built-in energy monitoring. Contact us today if you would like to find out more about measuring your energy usage and would like some tips and tricks to remove any vampire energy in your home! Our experienced green electricians are looking forward to helping you become more energy-efficient!
