With an electricity bill whose price has skyrocketed this summer, it is worth being aware of the different methods with which to achieve that the impact on our pocket is not so great. Beyond having to live like vampires to make life and plug everything in at night, it is about knowing which appliances consume the most at home and These gadgets that we are now reviewing make our task easier.
Instead of doing math to calculate how much the air conditioning, the HVAC system or even the router is spending, these devices make it easy just by plugging them in. What’s more, allow to know the consumption of traditional appliances, which are not integrated into the smart home.
Monitoring consumption
For the review we are going to focus on devices that monitor each device individually instead of those that measure the overall consumption of the home, which are connected to the electrical panel of the home. The individual type are connected to a socket in the house and to them, in turn, the device that we want to monitor.
In addition, within this typology there are they only measure consumption in real time, only during the time that these devices remain connected and, on the other hand, those that allow access to a history of consumption per day and per hour for each device and that usually connect to home Wi-Fi.
AVM FRITZ! DECT 200
We start with this model of Fritz connected plug, which allows you to remotely activate any device thanks to the Wi-Fi connection, but also make planning and of course, know energy consumption, both in real time and in historical form. A plug that we can find for a price close to 50 euros in stores such as Amazon or PcComponentes.
AVM FRITZ! DECT 200 International – Smart outlet, Smart Home, DECT ULE, programmable and controllable through the Internet, Interface in Spanish
Teckin
More economical is this Teckin model. For just over 23 euros we can control what a device is spending at home. Thanks to Wi-Fi connectivity, we can see consumption in real time and access a history with the data of the device that we have connected. There is no lack of programming and scene creation functions.
D-Link DSP-W218
This connected plug from D-Link is the DSP-W218. A compact model that allows know the consumption of the device that we have plugged in and at the same time create schedules to turn it off and on according to our needs and in this way take advantage of the cheapest rates. A model that has a price of 14.99 euros PcComponentes and on Amazon.
D-Link DSP-W218 Wi-Fi Smart Plug with Power Consumption Control, Mini, Works with Amazon Alexa (Echo and Echo Dot), Google Home, Remote Control On and Off Via Free App
Meross
This smart plug from Meross comes in a pack of two units and measures the consumption of the device that we have plugged in, both in real time and in history. Thanks to Wi-Fi connectivity and the Meross app, it allows remote control and is also compatible with Alexa, Google Assistant and SmartThings. The two-unit pack is priced at 19.99 euros on Amazon.
Smart Plug, Measures Consumption 16A 3680W Wi-Fi Smart Plug, with Remote Control Meross App. Compatible with Alexa, Google Assistant and SmartThings. 2 pack. MSS310
TP Link HS 110
The Tp-Link smart plug allows you to turn appliances on and off from anywhere as it is connected to the home Wi-Fi network at 2.4GHz. However, it can be programmed using the KASA app intuitively from Android or iOS. It has an “away from home” mode, which turns it on and off to deter potential thieves and allows you to know consumption, both in real time and in history. We can find it for about 62 euros.
Smart Plug TP-LINK HS11
Xiaomi XM500008
For 17.14 euros we have the Xiaomi XM500008. A plugged in that detects the power consumption of devices in real time and detect potential savings. We can control it through the Mi Home application or through the voice assistant Alexa and Google Assistant.
Xiaomi XM500008 – Remote Control Device Mi Smart Plug Expansion (Remote Plug)
Real time meters
These are all plugs that allow to know in real time the consumption of each device, but thanks to mobile applications, they also offer access to a history of consumption over time.
Along with these, we have meters that are connected between the plug and the appliance but that do not allow us to know the history of consumption (except in one case in the list). They are cheaper but also more limited and these are some of the most interesting.
Gafild consumption meter
The Gafild is a current consumption meter that, thanks to an LCD screen, allows know clearly the consumption that the device is carrying out that we have connected. It has overload protection, you can set the price of electricity and we can find it for less than 18 euros on Amazon.
Gafild Energy Meter Current Consumption Meter, Energy Cost Meter Meter with LCD Display, Overload Protection, 3680W
CSL Bearwear Meter | 302737
Simpler still is this CSL meter. A device that allows to measure and calculate the energy consumption and the costs of connected devices with a power range between 0.1 and 3680W. It has a 1.9-inch LCD screen to provide information and is priced at 13.85 euros.
CSL – Energy Cost Meter – Energy Consumption Meter – Double Rate – 3680W
ZHURUI PR10-C EU16A
More complex than the previous one and also offering more information we find the ZHURUI PR10-C EU16A. Thanks to its 2.4-inch TFT color LCD screen, it can offer more data and it can measure a variety of power, power factor, voltage, current, frequency, accumulated electricity consumption, accumulated electricity bill, accumulated electricity time, single-use electricity consumption … We can find it by 54.13 euros on Amazon. It is the only one of those that are not connected that offers access to a consumption history.
ZHURUI PR10-C EU16A (German Plug) Home Power Socket / Home Energy Meter / Energy Recorder / Electricity Meters / 16 Coin Units
SCHWAIGER -661576
The SCHWAIGER -661576 is a different model from the others, as the plug appears in a body separate from the screen. This model allows you to measure and calculate the current power consumption of a connected device, as well as current intensity, power, voltage, electricity costs, network frequency and CO2 emission in powers up to 3680W. We can find it for 18.88 euros on Amazon.
And to conclude the review we have this striking device. It’s called SwitchBot and more than controlling actual consumption, it allows you to remotely turn on and off any device. It does not require a plug, as it has a long-lasting battery and the only thing it requires is that the device we are going to use has a switch, since The SwitchBot is mechanical and what it does is press the switch as if it were our finger.
SwitchBot
This smart button, because that’s what it is, simulates our finger when turning a device on and off. Anyone with a push button is compatible with this gadget, which connects to the home’s 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi network and allows control through mobile and Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, Siri and even IFTTT. A device that we can find for 18.75 euros on Amazon.
SwitchBot – Smart Switch, No Wiring, Wireless App or Timer Control, Add to SwitchBot Hub, Compatible with Alexa, Google Home, HomePod, IFTTT