DIY Kyoto

An effective energy monitor can result in big savings – I purchased one last December and after 10 months have achieved a 30% saving compared with the same period last year. The monitor I got is called a ‘Wattson’ and it is available from www.diykyoto.com.

It has 3 parts – a sensor clip that goes onto your mains electricity to monitor usage, a monitor that shows this from any location in your house, and a program on your PC/Mac that allows you to record this data, and also compare it to anyone else you know who has a monitor themselves. The clever thing about this monitor is the way it displays information – the figure for energy usuage can be given in kilowatts, or in cost/year. The cost/year setting shows how much it would cost you if the devices currently in use were left on for an entire year. This is a great motivator! It also makes you realise how energy intensive some activities are.

The device also glows red to indicate high energy use, and blue to indicate low usage. The price you pay for electricity can be adjusted by attaching the monitor to your PC, and settings can be added for nightsaver electricity etc. You can also buy a second sensor clip if you are luck enough to produce some of your own electricity and this will give you accurate figures for what is being generated vs. imported from the grid – which again can be downloaded to your PC for analysis.

All in all, this is a very versatile and worthwhile device which has paid for itself in less than a year. It is available for order from www.diykyoto.com for £99.95.