Current Cost ENVI CC128 Energy Saving Monitor

The Current Cost ENVI CC128 Energy Saving Monitor is designed to assist householders in understanding their energy use and where savings could be made by monitoring energy usage in realtime.

We received the monitor and found it fairly simple to install using the instructions provided. We did have two of the thick round wires described but trial and error got us to the correct one. The monitor is then ready to use immediately and shows you the energy your home is currently using. The only thing you may wish to change is the default p/kWh rate depending on what you pay for your electricity. You can set the monitor to allow for different rates at different times of day but not if your tariff alters after a number of units. To give you an idea of your costs, however, Current Cost suggest that you “add the two tariffs together, then add five per cent VAT, finally divide by two, and enter this value in as a single tariff.” Bearing in mind that the monitor’s function is to show your energy usage/wastage, the exact pricing of what you use is not of great concern.

The display on the monitor is clear and easy to follow. At any given time you can see how much energy is being used and the cost of this (based on the default tariff or one you have entered) over a month should that level be maintained. It also indicates if there has been a drop or rise in usage which is a useful indicator of the amount of energy your appliances use. I was surprised, for example, at how much energy it took to heat my oven, but once temperature was reached the usage dropped back to almost the same level as before switching it on. Additional information on the display includes a graph comparing your usage at different times of day over the previous day. You would expect, of course, that this would be at its lowest at night. If not, perhaps something has been left on which could have been switched off. Your usage over the last day, week and 30 days is also provided as is the time and temperature.

I really liked the Current Cost ENVI CC128 Energy Saving Monitor as a great way to raise my awareness of how much energy different appliances use. Its easy-to-read display means that you can glance at it whenever you’re passing and take note of energy usage when you have turned something on or off.

This product is available for £39.95 which compares well with similar products. The packaging was cardboard so recyclable. .