Electricity Meters for Residential Monitoring

The Kill-A-Watt

The U.S. Department of Energy prepares statistics on average electricity use by homes according to end loads such as heating, cooling, cooking, lighting, hot water, refrigeration, and miscellaneous appliances. For those home owners that want to get their hands on more detailed information about how they use electricity in their own homes, home electricity meters can provide a wealth of information at a low cost. Two off the shelf models are the Kill-A-Watt and the CENT-A-METER.

The Kill-A-Watt is a simple and cost effective tool that uses an LCD screen to display measurements of power, frequency, voltage, current, reactive power, and power factor. Simply plug any 120 volt appliance into the kWh to take readings with an accuracy of 0.2%. A great feature is the cumulative kWh tracker, which enables owners to track the consumption of individual appliances over time.

The CENT-A-METER is more of a display piece than a diagnostic tool. Components of the CENT-A-METER system include a current transformer sensor, wireless transmitter, and receiver. The sensors is installed in the electric panel by an electrician. The wireless transmitter is able to receive the current readings from the sensor and transmit a signal to a wireless receiver that clearly displays instantaneous whole-house power, estimated electricity use and cost per hour, equivalent green house gas production, and indoor ambient temperature and relative humidity. Though it does not provide the same level of detail about individual loads as the Kill-A-Watt meter, the CENT-A-METER is a great educational tool for a household concerned about their electricity use.

Contacts:

Kill-A-Watt Meter
P3 International Corporation
Corporate Offices
132 Nassau Street
New York, NY 10038-2400
Phone: (212) 346-7979
Web: www.p3international.com

CENT-A-METER
Intrec Services
1705 14th Street
#128 Boulder CO 80302
Phone: (858) 674-2555
Web: www.centameter.com.au/