Discover how much power each device in your home uses with affordable smart gadgets. Learn about smart plugs, energy monitoring devices, and power-saving tips to reduce your electricity bills.
Are you spending more than usual on electricity bills? It is important to be disciplined to keep electricity bills under control and reduce expenses. It is helpful to know how much power each device in your home uses. For this, some modern gadgets are available at low prices.
1. Smart plugs
Many WiFi smart plugs are available on e-commerce websites. Some also have features to monitor power usage. Products from many brands like Hero Group's Qubo, TP-Link, Wipro, Havells, Philips are available at very affordable prices. You can buy a 10A smart plug starting from Rs.699. You can buy a 16A plug for Rs.899.
You need to plug the smart plug into the socket and pair it with the Qubo app on your smartphone. You can view the details of electricity usage on your mobile. The best part is that it works over the internet.
So even when you are outside, you can control the devices at home. You can turn on the AC at home before coming home and get it ready. You can set it to turn on the bathroom geyser for 20 minutes every day at 7 am. You can turn off the fridge at home when you are out.
2. Another option
If you want to connect multiple electrical appliances, you can buy Wipro's smart plug which is available for Rs.1890. This smart plug with 4 sockets has features like energy monitoring, auto cut-off, scheduling. It also has the ability to control devices with Alexa and Google Assistant.
3. Other alternatives
There are also devices that help you directly monitor your electricity consumption. There are also gadgets that can be installed in the electrical distribution box. IIT Bombay and Just Labs have jointly developed a gadget called Ohm Assistant. Ohm Assistant is a live energy monitoring device for homes. But, it has to be installed by an electrician. This device is called the Ohm Pod.
It takes about 30 minutes to install it in the electrical distribution box at home. Once installed, you can view electricity consumption details on your smartphone via WiFi. The Ohm Assistant app for this can be used on both Android and iOS.
Apart from this, many people think that electrical appliances do not use electricity when not in use. Devices like TVs, monitors, UPS use a small amount of power when not in use. In this case, if it continues, little by little electricity will be wasted. So experts recommend using electrical appliances in power saver mode as much as possible.