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Blue Line Powercost Monitor
In stock: ready to ship.
Quick Overview
Get the low-down on what your house is costing you in Kilowatts or dollars. Clip it to your meter and start making sense of your bills. It's that easy.
Availability
Blue Line has recently announced connectivity with Microsoft Hohm using a new WiFi module. If you have a Blue Line (or Black and Decker) monitor already, the WiFi module can be added on and used to collect data and send over the Internet so that you can see usage over time. This is a significant improvement to the original model -- we're testing the new capability now and will add it to our store as soon as we're able to see it in action.
Product Description
Its 4pm. Do you know what your house is doing? The PowerCost meter will tell you. This easily installed gadget transmits data from your electricity meter to an in-home LCD that displays how much power your house is using and how much that power costs you. The Powercost meter can not only help you pinpoint where the power hogs are, it also allows you to track when your household burns the most money. The straightforward two part system consists of a Sensor Unit attached directly to the outside of your electric meter and the Power Monitor display unit, which is wireless, and can be located in any room of the house for easy reference. The sensor can be attached and detached without impacting the meter. The monitor can sit on a counter or be mounted on the wall. Both the sensor and monitor are battery operated (batteries included).
We Thought You'd Like To Know
This is the newest model of the Blue Line, #28000.
Plays well with (most) others:
List of Known Compatible Meters
List of Known Incompatible Meters
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Nitty Gritty
Included are one display unit, one sensor unit, an installation guide, setup guide, user's manual, installation DVD, and 4 AA alkaline batteries.
Customer Reviews
We installed one of these units 7 months ago and it was thrilling to see real-time data but after a while we realized the calibration of the unit (total actual kwh used over the actual period in question) was off by about 30 percent compared to actual meter readings.
Sometimes the instantaneous usage rate spikes up and down over a short time and we don't know why. We definitely reduced use of air conditioning after getting the information this unit provided us. I have not been able to discover how to correct the discrepancy.
Other challenges: the receiver has difficulty getting a signal through a masonry wall, limiting our ability to carry it throughout the house. We have it located near the kitchen table, about 8 feet away from the power meter.
Actual bills from our utility include other fees that may not depend on KWH used, which this unit cannot calculate for display.
In the course of this I have realized my utility bills are based on estimated readings every other month, only accurate every second month. Now I'm paying closer attention and yes, the monitor has paid for itself already.
I'd like to add the ability to save and upload data, maybe bundle this with a kill-a-watt type meter.
Posted by Dave on Mar 23, 2010 3:19pmAfter seeing the electricity monitoring on your website we thought we'd give it a try. The Blueline is very easy to install, easy to use, wireless which we love, and it's certainly made an impact in how we use electricity. I would recommend it to anyone.
Posted by janet m on Jul 7, 2009 6:20pmMonitoring your power usage is key. We like this monitor because it's easy to install and wireless. Our family takes turns putting the display next to their bed, so the information is right there for them to see. Even the teenager is running back to turn off lights.
Posted by Lisa on Jul 1, 2009 11:00amWe've been using our Blue Line for about 10 days and it has produced a marked shift in everyone's behavior. The toaster, coffee pot and, of course, the now hated dryer (that adds about $1.00/kwh when it's running) have been EXPOSED. The kids are engaged. An innate understanding of what's on and what our electricity use should be at any given time has developed. When the monitor shows a high number, and it isn't readily explained, the kids are off in search of the culprit. Too soon to tell what our savings will be, but I'm betting on it being better than the 20% the Canadian researchers say results from the simple act of monitoring.
Do not pass go. If you want to get started with dealing with your home energy, you need to get a monitor.
Posted by PT on Dec 8, 2008 2:58pm