[PA-Homesteader]

Hey guys,

I'm looking for a good Kilowatt Meter so I can see what kinda of power my appliances draw so I can tell what type of generator to get that will be sufficient

Anyone you used and would recommend?

 

[lasers]

Do you want to test only 120 appliances or 240/206 as well?

I have the most basic Kill-A-Watt. It mostly works. The down fall of it is, it can only do 120 plugs and it doesn't have memory so when you unplug it the information goes away. Usually that is fine but in places where you can't easily see the screen it is a problem. And I can't use it to measure the capacity of my battery backup because the inverter automatically shuts off the power once the battery voltage gets too low.

A clip on power meter could be better if you want to measure higher voltage power consumption.

 

[woowoo2]

You can just look at the nomenclature tags.
They list current draw.

 

[lasers]

I would love to have something like this
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B...6PHJ9&linkId=ed8295e21e0b84aa4614872a9e3cb957

But I can't justify the cost.

 

[charliemeyer007]

Killawattt gets good reviews. +1 for just looking at starting and running watts. 75 - 80% is a good load with everything you want running. Some things take a lot to start like deep well pumps. Factor in that generators loose power as the age and loads tend to use more as they age

Amazon Sucks!

 

[KoolAde2]

I like this one better as it is reading each circuit

.

Less expensive and monitors each breaker this one is 16 or 8

Energy Use

 

[ManyFeathers]

What you need is an amp meter

amps x volts = watts x 1000 = kilowatts

 

[KoolAde2]

Yes but he wanted to read it in real time. The one I linked is a good idea and it can help people like me who have very high KW cost look for ways to lower my bill. I am on a Pay the same amount every month and it just jumped $40 a month. I don't see anything at my house that has changed.
Not quite $300 a month is lot.
I wanted to add Solar but I have several Trees that would have to come down an at about $1500 to 2000 a tree that,s not happening.

 

[country_boy]

You can just look at the nomenclature tags.
They list current draw.

rarely. They usually list maximum running current, which doesn’t account for for duty cycle or power factor. Should be dead on for an incandescent lightbulb.

the kil-a watt is easy, after that I don’t know of a cheap answer- we use fluke power meters, or if you don’t need precision, an amp meter with a average function.

 

[woowoo2]

rarely. They usually list maximum running current, which doesn’t account for for duty cycle or power factor.

And max running current is what I would use to size a generator.

 

[country_boy]

And max running current is what I would use to size a generator.

maybe. With enough load you can worry about average power- without enough load, you have to worry about starting load- especially if you have a well pump.

 

[Brettny]

Kill A watt isnt and end all be all. My killawatt slowly shows higher voltage and thus all the readings are off. For the $20 I did spend on it it saved me $75 a month by unplugging one appliance.

 

[johnmcd]

Just search Amazon for 'electricity usage monitor' - there are a lot of options available, including ones that connect to WiFi and allow you to track in real time. Here's one that handles up to 15A and send the data to your smart phone:

TOPGREENER Smart Plug with Energy Monitoring, 15A, 1800W, No Hub Required, Works with Alexa and Google Assistant, 2-Pack - - Amazon.com

 

[BrianWorf]

You can just look at the nomenclature tags.
They list current draw.

Those are like getting the MPG on your vehicle from the manufacturer's info on the new car sticker. Not accurate at all in the real world.