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Another product that obviously doesn't need to be Internet-connected to function but is (presumably to create a recurring revenue model for the manufacturer). A

Another product that obviously doesn't need to be Internet-connected to function but is (presumably to create a recurring revenue model for the manufacturer). A $250.00 retail price is too much, to me, to risk on a device that will be relegated to the junk heap once the back-end "cloud service" disappears after the manufacturer fails.

tptacek 14y ago
This is a totally fair concern, but if your alternative is "not having any kind of fine-grained monitoring of power at all", know that you are very likely throwing money away; it does not take a lot of renegade appliances (or, in my case, renegade incandescent bulbs) to offset the cost of the sensor. I have bought very few things that had such a clear ROI so quickly after I set them up.
- locusm 14y ago
  I second the ROI comment. The Queensland Govt ran a scheme here for a while called Climate Smart http://www.climatesmarthome.com http://www.climatesmarthome.com The meter cost $50 and was one of those clip on passive devices. Ended up identifying about $300/qtr of wasted power for me. I had faulty Kitchen appliances and an incorrectly wired hot water system.
  - brianleb 14y ago
    Since we're talking very explicitly about costs and savings: about how much did it cost to identify the hot water system problem and get it rewired correctly?
- brianleb 14y ago
  That last sentence tipped me off to the real matter at hand. I think the problem is that you can't appreciate the ROI of the product until you've experienced/received the ROI of the product. And in truth, it isn't an easy choice - the most likely way for me to save money on electricity would be to change my habits. If it were easy, then I could do it without this $250 device. If I wanted to change, then I would just do it. This thing would guilt or otherwise convince me to change myself, which is typically not an easy or pleasant thing. I'm writing as someone who could afford the $250 device (and would probably benefit from it, given the quantity of electronics in my home), but I'm just not convinced enough to take the plunge. What it would take for me is seeing one in action and laying hands on the device or talking in detail to a friend about their outcomes with the device. But right now, it all just seems like a pipe dream, and I can spend less than $250 on a pipe dream.
  - tptacek 14y ago
    Savings for us had absolutely zero to do with habits, unless stuff like incandescent bulbs are a habit.
    - pbhjpbhj 14y ago
      So you didn't know you had incandescent bulbs until you used the wattvision, or whatever, or you didn't realise they used more power, or you didn't realise leaving them on used more power???
      - tptacek 14y ago
        There were a couple of things plugged in in my house that were chewing up huge amounts of electricity. Very large incandescent bulbs in our bathrooms were one of them.
        icebraining 14y ago
        Wouldn't it have took you less time to check the wattage of each bulb on the house than having to buy, receive, install and run this meter?
        tptacek 14y ago
        No? The whole point of the meter is that it won't occur to you what things to look at. The entire value proposition is spotting those things for you. If you're the kind of person who memorizes the wattage of everything you plug into your house, then yes, this might not be money well spent. It was for me.
  - tedunangst 14y ago
    Maybe get a killawatt instead? Tons of fun running around your house plugging stuff into it, but of course you can only measure the stuff you can plug into it. Also, as a renter, it's something I can actually use. Surprised nobody's mentioned it yet, they're fairly popular as the low tech version of this.

tptacek 14y ago

This is a totally fair concern, but if your alternative is "not having any kind of fine-grained monitoring of power at all", know that you are very likely throwing money away; it does not take a lot of renegade appliances (or, in my case, renegade incandescent bulbs) to offset the cost of the sensor. I have bought very few things that had such a clear ROI so quickly after I set them up.

locusm 14y ago
I second the ROI comment. The Queensland Govt ran a scheme here for a while called Climate Smart http://www.climatesmarthome.com http://www.climatesmarthome.com The meter cost $50 and was one of those clip on passive devices. Ended up identifying about $300/qtr of wasted power for me. I had faulty Kitchen appliances and an incorrectly wired hot water system.
- brianleb 14y ago
  Since we're talking very explicitly about costs and savings: about how much did it cost to identify the hot water system problem and get it rewired correctly?
brianleb 14y ago
That last sentence tipped me off to the real matter at hand. I think the problem is that you can't appreciate the ROI of the product until you've experienced/received the ROI of the product. And in truth, it isn't an easy choice - the most likely way for me to save money on electricity would be to change my habits. If it were easy, then I could do it without this $250 device. If I wanted to change, then I would just do it. This thing would guilt or otherwise convince me to change myself, which is typically not an easy or pleasant thing. I'm writing as someone who could afford the $250 device (and would probably benefit from it, given the quantity of electronics in my home), but I'm just not convinced enough to take the plunge. What it would take for me is seeing one in action and laying hands on the device or talking in detail to a friend about their outcomes with the device. But right now, it all just seems like a pipe dream, and I can spend less than $250 on a pipe dream.
- tptacek 14y ago
  Savings for us had absolutely zero to do with habits, unless stuff like incandescent bulbs are a habit.
  - pbhjpbhj 14y ago
    So you didn't know you had incandescent bulbs until you used the wattvision, or whatever, or you didn't realise they used more power, or you didn't realise leaving them on used more power???
    - tptacek 14y ago
      There were a couple of things plugged in in my house that were chewing up huge amounts of electricity. Very large incandescent bulbs in our bathrooms were one of them.
      - icebraining 14y ago
        Wouldn't it have took you less time to check the wattage of each bulb on the house than having to buy, receive, install and run this meter?
        tptacek 14y ago
        No? The whole point of the meter is that it won't occur to you what things to look at. The entire value proposition is spotting those things for you. If you're the kind of person who memorizes the wattage of everything you plug into your house, then yes, this might not be money well spent. It was for me.
- tedunangst 14y ago
  Maybe get a killawatt instead? Tons of fun running around your house plugging stuff into it, but of course you can only measure the stuff you can plug into it. Also, as a renter, it's something I can actually use. Surprised nobody's mentioned it yet, they're fairly popular as the low tech version of this.