looking for simple plugin electricity usage meter recommendation.

Read man read!!!

Smart PLUG, not meter. A smart plug plugs in ONE socket and meters the consumption of ONE device. I’d agree that smart meters are no use for monitoring individual devices.

Which is why I was referring to a PLUG as the OP was asking about a plug-in usage meter.

He can do what he likes with a smart plug. Why would he compare it with his freezer though? He wants to compare it with other methods of cooking porridge. Pretty pointless IMO as it’s gonna be so low as to be pretty inconsequential in the big scheme of things.

Tim

I think you’re comparing apples and oranges. A clamp meter is great for measure load in real time, but will it measure consumption over 24 hrs say? Many appliances power consumption varies over time. An instant “snapshot” isn’t helpful to tell you the difference between a regular 40 degree wash and a quick 30 degree one say or how much power your fridges uses in a day.

Tim

My clamp meter tells me:

Instantaneous consumption (0.14kW) Plus, how much I’ve used: …since midnight (2.38kWh) …yesterday (10.18kWh) …last seven days (64.53Wh) …last thirty days (278.36kWh)

If I want it can read out those figures in £ or in kgCO2.

The fridge/freezer uses 100W in an 2hr on, 2hr off cycle for 1.2kWh/day

A long 50degC towel wash uses 1kWh

A tumble dry uses 1.25kWh

Making two porridge breakfasts uses 0.2kWh

Clamp meters can be very useful, especially as they don’t need items to be plugged in to a special device.

Surely not a serious suggestion "turn everything except the stove off"!? In most houses I doubt very much if that's a practical proposition.

... not to mention that I doubt very much if making porridge any way you like will consume an amount of energy that affects your costs very much.

That's nice - the open-source Tasmota firmware gives you a proper website on the device, and it will speak MQTT. None of this installing an outdated app to talk to their cloud server in China which breaks half the time.

Some of the similar ones on Amazon can be converted to Tasmota but they have started locking them down, so it's nice to be able to buy them preflashed.

Theo

I also came across:

(Out of stock, but more stock due this week.)

Theo

I take it all back then! Didn’t realise clamp meters had that kind of functionality built in. Just out of interest, how much do you have to pay to have all that functionality?

Tim

I don't think it makes any difference, even if you use medium oatmeal instead of rolled oats. (I still get the oatmeal ready the night before so I can turn the hob on as soon as I get up as it takes 20 minutes of simmering to cook.)

The cooking time is the same, at 5 minutes for rolled oats, but on the hob that doesn't include the time taken to bring it to a boil; also you have to stir it more.

erm….it cost nothing, I was given it.

It’s an old BG ‘minim’ device.

...

Stupid question, but is that a clamp meter at the consumer unit, or at the appliance? If the latter, how are you clamping it - are you separating the live and neutral conductors so you can clamp only one of them?

Or is it at the CU and the above are calculations based on subtracting what you assume your 'baseload' is?

Theo

Which rolled oats are you using that take 5 minutes in the microwave?

Does Scott's Porridge Oats count as porridge?

My built in electric hob and oven are a definite no-no. All othe devices are plugin.

My built in oven is actually connected to the cooker point through a 13A plug and socket. Behind the oven though, so not so handy.

Asda Scottish Porridge Oats. I think they can all be cooked that quickly.

Not if you are a True Scotsman.

(Not that I am, but I had genuine oatmeal porridge on a Scottish holiday as a child, and it is clearly superior, though takes longer to cook.)

I was in a café the other day that offered “porridge brûlée” on the breakfast menu. Never tried it but I will now. ;-)

Tim

thats interesting....

I buy tesco own brand scottish porridge oats....

my recipe is as follows and is the same as the back of the bag:

300 ml of milk or water or a mix thereof into same deep bowl

Add in sugar or salt to taste & stir

Pop in microwave oven for 2 minutes from stone cold.

Stir.

Microwave again for 2 mins 30 seconds

Stir and then serve, enjoy with your choice of topping.

You clamp it onto one of the two incoming conductors live or neutral it shouldn't matter which unless you have a huge earth leakage fault.

You don't have to guess about your base load. You switch the device being tested on and off and see how much the reading changes by.

The only fly in the ointment is if the freezer or boiler decides to fire up whilst you are taking the measurement. Anything that is making a serious contribution to power consumption is easily seen above the noise. Reducing your base load is well worth doing. Mine is now 70W.

That includes the emergency lights, alarm, kitchen white goods, various kit in standby and the ONT and router and smart devices all running.

In round numbers a continuous 1W load 24/7 is about 10kWh/year = £3.40 (at the present price cap for electricity)

Finding one ancient old wall wart lurking down the back of the settee may save you as much as 10W. Likewise checking that the TV really does a proper low power standby and isn't running the TDTV tuner continuously (many earlier sets did this by default).

Sounds systems for PCs are notoriously bad for power consumption. Mine has a power led which goes on and off when you switch it off but the thing consumes about the same amount of power on *or* off. It doesn't power down it merely disconnects the audio inputs and the "on" LED! (the switch isn't mains rated)

That's what's stuck to the bottom of the pan, shirley?