Power-Bill Savings Begin With Digital Wireless Device

A month ago, I had never heard of a wireless digital readout monitor for home electricity use, but now that I have used one for several days, I would recommend it for every household.

These handy devices display the kind of information that makes you pay attention to your electricity consumption.

I tested a Power Cost Monitor unit made by Blue Line Innovations of Canada ( http://www. bluelineinnovations. com). It is battery-powered and about the size of a TV remote. It displays the number of kilowatts our household is using and its cost in real time, the quantity of power in real time and compared with the last 24 hours and the last billing period, and a running total of kilowatt-hours consumed and dollars spent in the current billing period.

Even better, the monitor makes it easy to calculate the power draw for each of the many pieces of equipment we own and how much it is costing us. This has made us more conscientious about turning things off, which should lower our monthly bill. The monitor can display and calculate the figures for the tiered or time-of-use rates that many power utilities now charge.

The Power Cost Monitor unit used in several pilot studies in Canada displayed more information, including the amount of carbon dioxide a household was contributing to the atmosphere by its electricity use. But after the maker found that most people are interested only in the data that will save them money, it no longer included other information.

The Energy Detective monitor, known as TED and made by Energy Inc. of Charleston, S.C., which I did not test, provides the same basic information. TED also displays the amount of power you have used that day, your projected total for the month and the voltage your utility is transmitting. (If this goes too low for too long, it can shorten the life of sensitive equipment such as a home computer.) TED has an alarm to alert you when the voltage has gone down.

TED, which is portable but must be plugged into an outlet, collects additional data that can be downloaded to a computer. This includes the carbon dioxide emissions associated with your electricity use and a breakdown of electricity used by your furnace, air conditioner, pool pump and hot water heater. TED can store 13 months of data. By the end of the year, the Power Cost Monitor will also have additional downloadable data.

TED is $145, and the Power Cost Monitor is $149.

-- Katherine Salant