Blueline Innovations Powercost Monitor
We were recently contacted by Blueline Innovations who asked if we would consider carrying their Powercost Monitor. Within minutes of reading about the product it was obvious that this would be a perfect product for our customer base. The Powercost Monitor lets homeowners view real time energy consumption information about their household. It can show current and cumulative usage information in either kWH or real cost. It can also be used to track the consumption of individual appliances by comparing the real time consumption rates before and after activating the appliance.
I have to tell you that it was a real eye opener and within minutes I found myself watching the display to see the difference in consumption when the lights were on or off and comparing the cost of running our oven versus the toaster oven. Even turning a few lights on or off made a real difference! I can easily see how using the Powercost Monitor will make people much more aware of their usage and bad habits that waste electricity and money, allowing them to save real dollars at the end of each month.
The Powercost Monitor consists of two pieces. The table or wall mount display unit and the wireless sensor that attaches to the house’s hydro meter. In our case we are using a digital meter and had no problem following the instructions and had the sensor installed and the unit operational in about 15 minutes. I do recommend reading through the installation manual in its entirety and having a recent hydro bill handy or calling your utility in advance to ensure you understand the type of billing system in place, be it flat rate, multi-tiered, time of use, etc.
The Powercost Monitor’s sensor is compatible with around 90% of North American hydro meters according to Blueline Innovations. As long as the sensor can ‘see’ the spinning disk or IR pulse from the meter it will work. Compatibility in various regions will vary of course based on the meter of preference in that area. Blueline provides a list of compatible and incompatible meters and are available to answer any pre or post-sales questions to ensure the installation goes smoothly. Please check your meter compatibility BEFORE ordering!
The Powercost Monitor will be even more invaluable as the hydro companies soon switch over to smart meters and peak/off peak and time of use billing to discourage daytime use. And the clock and outside temperate display are a nice bonus… we were going to buy an outdoor temperature display anyway. There is a similar model made by Blueline for Black and Decker but the Black and Decker model has a smaller display unit, 30% shorter wireless range and doesn’t ship with batteries.
