New energy monitor gadget...

Ballard · Post by **Ballard** » 11 Nov 2007, 23:46

The Wattson
Looks like fun, PC compatible as well

http://www.firebox.com/product/1870?src ... d=techtoys

Very expensive however

Features:
Overview
View how much electricity you are currently using - see if leaving that mobile phone charger turned on actually costs you unnecessary money!
Shows electricity usage in two ways, numerical and colours. Cool blue shows small amount of electricity being used, Red for WARNING drastic increase in electricity consumption! Numerical displays in Watts or Pounds per year
View your energy consumption over time with the included software (PC&MAC compatible)
Connect to The Wattson community and hub and compare your usage - Wattson stores data for up to 4 weeks
In detail
Display
Portable wireless unit allows instant reading of electricity use anywhere in the home
Prominent LED digital display, easily readable in all light conditions
Instantaneous reading of power consumption for entire premises providing immediate feedback on energy use of appliances
Real-time feedback whenever an electrical appliances switches on/off
Readings provided in Watts or estimated cost of energy per year
User settable currency, $, ? or (EURO SYMBOL)
Individuals electricity tariff user settable, allowing for tariff changes
Colour changing mood light, which breaths and changes colour proportionally to energy use in the home, proving an intuitive means to understand energy use
Ease and simplicity of information provided, minimal and uncomplicated display allows instant understanding
Contemporary and sensitive design to compliment any interior
Designed for disassemble, to facilitate recycling at end of life
UK mains 9Vdc power charger/converter supplied
Internal rechargeable battery pack, providing portability around the home
Low power mode to extend battery life
5W average power consumption, reducible to <<1W in low power mode
Sensor
Easy to install power sensor, no expert knowledge required.
Compatible with single and three phase electrical systems, allowing Wattson to be used in larger houses and also small businesses as well as domestic dwellings.
Powered by 4 x AA batteries, supplied.
User settable transmission frequency, 3 ? 20 seconds, allows extension of battery life or increase in refresh rate.
History of energy use
Electricity use information stored 288 times a day in Wattsons internal memory, providing a detailed history of energy use
Data viewed graphically using our free dedicated software, allowing quick understanding of energy use and trends
Software PC and MAC compatible
Daily, weekly, monthly and yearly views of energy use
Integratable with DIY Kyoto online community to allow comparisons with other Wattson users
Technical Specifications
10KW max per phase
1W resolution of display
LED 14 ? segment digital display
RGB LED full colour ambient light
32kb non-volatile eeprom internal memory
433Mhz transmitter / receiver, 100ft range
3 ? 20 second refresh rate, user selectable
3 ? 6 month battery life (Sensor)
Up to 3 month battery life (Display)
USB 1.0 or higher
USB-A to USB mini-A cable
Currency selectable: ?. $, EURO
Casings made from Polycarbonate, Polyvinyl and ABS
Display: 105mm X 170mm x 55mm
Transmitter: ?mm x ?mm x ?mm
Software Mac/PC compatible
Box contents:
Transmitter - Clips around one of the two wires running by the electricity meter and fuse box. It can be installed in seconds without the need for an electrician.
Wattson - needs to be within 30 metres of the sensor to work, roughly a three floored building Software - for PC and Mac
AC Power Adapter

RenewableCandy · Post by **RenewableCandy** » 12 Nov 2007, 11:01

Nice post: just in time for Christmas!!

murpen · Post by **murpen** » 12 Nov 2007, 12:03

Looks even fancier and more expensive than the Electrisave.

If you want a Wattson you might like to know that you can get 10% cashback through http://www.quidco.com/firebox/

PS_RalphW · Post by **PS_RalphW** » 12 Nov 2007, 13:19

The one thing they don't tell you is its own power consumption...

Ballard · Post by **Ballard** » 12 Nov 2007, 13:30

RalphW wrote:The one thing they don't tell you is its own power consumption...

3 ? 6 month battery life (Sensor)
Up to 3 month battery life (Display)

Not alot I'd say...

However it's gonna take a long time to pay for itself at ?150.

RenewableCandy · Post by **RenewableCandy** » 12 Nov 2007, 16:33

Ballard wrote: However it's gonna take a long time to pay for itself at ?150.

Depends...you don't know what wasters some households (or indeed workplaces: hello my boss are you reading this?) are!!

emordnilap · Post by **emordnilap** » 12 Nov 2007, 16:37

You might be better off with a few of these:

http://www.hulgerisation.com/?page_id=60

RenewableCandy · Post by **RenewableCandy** » 12 Nov 2007, 16:39

Wow reminds me of that Nuttalls Mintoes advert "One of the great unwinders"

emordnilap · Post by **emordnilap** » 12 Nov 2007, 17:29

I seriously think the lamp is a wind-up.

rs · Post by rs » 13 Nov 2007, 10:46

Why people feel the need to blow ?150 on a useless device like this is beyond me. Why not save the dosh and just turn off appliances when they are not needed, it's not rocket science!

Devices like this irritate the hell out of me. Let's manufacture and transport yet more crap around the world just to tell us that a light bulb uses less energy than a fridge freezer.

Post by **adam2** » 13 Nov 2007, 17:15

It would appear that this energy monitor only measures current and not voltage, and is therefore inherently inaccurate.
There is a lot of difference between 10 amps at 210 volts, and 10 amps at 250 volts.
Also, if it doesnt measure voltage then it cant measure power factor, and presumably gives an appreciable over estimate of the true energy consumption of loads with poor power factor.
It would appear that the much cheaper power monitor sold by maplin and others is better in these respects as the maplin one does measure voltage and power factor, though only of a single appliance.