How Much Energy Are You Using? – GreenBuildingAdvisor

A home’s electricity use is affected by many factors. The efficiency of the home, the type of equipment in the home, and the habits of the occupants all play a role. Until recently, monitoring electricity use required complicated equipment. That’s all changing.

New innovations allow for monitoring whole electrical panels or individual circuits through technology integrated directly into the panels or breakers. Other technologies that have been around for a while include aftermarket products that can be installed inside panels. There are also options that allow point-of-use metering or utility-usage monitoring performed directly though the utility meter. These electrical-­monitoring options can be installed in both new and existing construction. Electricity usage is billed through an electrical meter that is usually located somewhere outside the home. These meters monitor watts consumed by the home and are billed in 1000-watt units, or 1 kilowatt. The current average electricity rate in the United States is around $0.14 per kilowatt hour (kWh). To figure out cost, multiply the kilowatt-hour usage by the rate.

These meters record usage for the entire electrical load of the home. Gaining a deeper understanding of specific electricity use will require some way to monitor individual electrical circuits or appliances.