With major electricity suppliers increasing rates up to 20%, there could be no better time than now to install the new OWL+USB wireless electricity monitor. With a superior memory capability, ultra fast download speed, OWL + USB makes it even easier for you to track and save money.
A very well-presented kit comprising:
1. Monitor Unit (stand alone or hang on the wall) that talks wirelessly to the Sender and doesn’t look out of place in a modern eco-friendly house! (NB: takes 3 x AA batteries supplied) with
2. a USB cable to connect to your PC or Laptop (to download stored data for more detailed analysis).
3. Sensor (easy to clip around the output cable from your electricity meter) and
4. wireless Sender that it plugs into (NB: takes 3 x AA batteries supplied). This will feeds data from the Sensor to the Monitor Unit, even up to 30m away.
5. A very easy to understand illustrated Installation Guide and
6. A CD with the appropriate Software Application for your PC.
Set-up was as easy as this:
Fit the 2 sets of AA batteries to the Monitor and Sender, switch them on and they will find one another wirelessly and connect with a friendly ‘beep’.
Find your electricity meter and clip the sensor around the ‘live’ output cable (labelled for me!) and plug the sensor lead into the wireless Sender unit. When you get back to the Monitor, you’ll find that it’s already monitoring what’s going through the ‘live’ cable from the meter to the house!
You do have to go through the necessary settings of time, date and, by the way you will need to have your recent electricity bill handy, to set up the cost per kWh (tariff) that you’ll find there!
It has a useful display of the ambient temperature wherever you are keeping the monitor unit.
The more-advanced set-up:
For this you’ll have to load the supplied software program from the CD-ROM to your PC. This allows the Monitor data to be downloaded (every 30 days) via the USB cable supplied. Then the really geeky ones amongst you can play with the data and see what savings you can make at home (switching off the TV, computer, lights etc) to your heart’s content!
The packaging is fully recyclable; a good start!
Verdict
Other than that, top marks for a super-easy to fit and understand system, that should be fitted to all private properties!
The OWL+USB wireless electricity monitor retails at £40.95. For more information; http://www.theowl.com/
