PowerCost Monitor Rebate

[patf11]

The Sacramento Municipal Utility District (SMUD) has an interesting offer under their rebate program for a PowerCost Monitor for $39.95. Bad news is this only for SMUD customers. Offer can be viewed here on SMUD site or here on manufacture's site. SMUD site is slow sometimes.

There is also an offer for GreenCo customers here.

 

[New2Me]

Those look like pretty good deals! I have been using the Kill-a-Watt
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16882715001&Tpk=Kill A Watt
to monitor energy usage for plug in products. It tells you how much power is used over time, you have to "do the math" with your rate to get cost. I didn't see if the advertised products get "real time" info on rates themselves, or do you have to enter it? Time-of-day-usage costs can vary greatly in the areas where it is used. These meters attach to you meter, monitoring whole-house usage. Finding out what one single device is consuming can involve some trial and error to eliminate other devices that might be consuming power at the same time(ie. turning all the breakers off except for the pool equipment.)

 

[patf11]

You are correct; it does measure the whole house vs. something like Kill-a-Watt that monitors what you plug into the unit. Each has it use, Kill-a-Watt for items that use plugs and whole house for things that you cannot plug into the Kill-a-Watt such as central A/C and some pool equipment.

The PowerCost Monitor has two readings, total since last reset and near real time. The near real time seems to update about every 30 seconds. You have to enter your local rates, it can accept up to 9 different tiered rates.

There are instructions to program unit for time-of-day rate structure but since we have 3 tiered rates I did not try this function.