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**This energy monitor IS NOT recommended for homes that generate their own renewable electricity. However the Wattson energy monitor is, click here for details**
The Eco-eye mini is a real-time monitor that literally 'keeps an eye' on the total amount of electricity being used in your home and displays this in kilowatts.
At the press of a button the Eco-eye mini can then translate that information into a projected total cost by hour, day, week, month and year. And to get the full environmental view it can also display your greenhouse gas emissions caused by this energy use. The Eco-eye mini also has a memory so you can look back at how much electricity you've been using in the past and compare it to present figures.
Like other wireless electricity monitors, the Eco-eye mini works by clipping a small detector on the mains supply at the point where it enters the electricity meter. This is plugged into a transmitter which sends the data to a receiver which displays the electricity usage on its screen. Unlike other monitors the Eco-eye mini has 30 channels available for transmitting the information. This is to prevent problems when two monitors of the same type are situated close to each other and pick up signals from the wrong transmitter (such as in a block of a flats or other places where households are close together). Using this feature that is currently unique to Eco-eye, it can be set to operate on any of the 30 channels to avoid interference.
The Eco-eye mini has a great easy-to-read display that acts as a constant reminder to keep an eye on your energy use in the home.
The sensor clip provided with the Eco-eye is designed to fit a standard 10mm cable. Additional sensors are also available to purchase seperately.
Features & Benefits
- Digital real time display of KW and £ usage or CO2 emissions
- Historical display of KW, £ or CO2 emissions by hour, day, week, month or year - accessible at the touch of a button
- Wi-eye under development that will allow you to download data to your PC. Drop us an email at feedback@good-energy.co.uk if you'd like us to let you know when it is available.
- Includes a plastic meter key for those who have mislaid or lost your key to your meter
- One year warranty from date of purchase
Technical Information
- Wireless unit which allows reading from the transmitter in a range of 30 m to 100m, depending on the house and building material
- Requires 2 x AA batteries for transmitter and 2 x AA batteries for receiver (all supplied) Optional AC power adapter to purchase
- Two rates of real-time update with the fastest every four seconds and slower at every 30 seconds
- eco-eye has been programmed to reduce its battery consumption. The receiver has an accurate internal clock which allows it to turn on the receiver for just a few milliseconds at the exact times when it is transmitting data. Estimated battery life is 6 months when using faster update mode and 18 months at slower update mode
- Can be set to either 110V,115V, 230V or 240V for use in other countries
- The eco-eye mini display is roughly the size of two cream crackers (75mm x 75mm x 50mm).
- Compatible with single, twin and three phased supply (two extra clips are needed for three phase)
NB A new product called the Wi-eye is currently under development which will have a USB connector and be able to download collected data from the eco-eye to be displayed and analysed on a PC. The price is expected to be around £40.. If you would like us to let you know when it is available, please email mailto:feedback@good-energyshop.co.uk
A commercial Eco-eye is also under development for use with three phase supply which should be available later in the year. If you want to receive more information on its availability please email mailto:feedback@good-energyshop.co.uk
Please note: If you have a non-standard tariff, such as economy 7 where you are charged different rates for day and night usage, the Eco-eye Mini cannot accurately display the cost of the electricity used. This is because it measures the kwh used, but cannot account for the time of day the units are used. We recommend that you use your last electricity bill to calculate your average unit cost, and use this value to programme your Eco-Eye.
Delivery Information
Please allow up to 3 working days for delivery
I was sure that once the novelty of a new gadget in the home wore off, old habits would return to normal and instead of saving money you'd be out of pocket with another redundant gadget in the house collecting dust.
Certain that they could prove me wrong, in May 2008 the Good Energy Shop challenged me to buy and install an Eco Eye Mini within my family home so that I could measure the results for myself. The Eco Eye Mini was the cheapest monitor in their current selection and it had received raving reviews - so how could I say no?
Installing the monitor was pretty straight forward and once the readings started coming through I was pleasantly surprised how easy it was to find simple solutions to reduce the energy consumption of our home - even the children joined in. But the question still remained - would it last?
Well, the figures speak for themselves:
In Q3 2007 our family home used 740 units in 92 days - that's an average of 8.04 units a day.
However, in Q3 2008 we used only 640 units in 90 days - only 7.11 units a day.
Now usually the word 'depreciation' is not one I like to hear very often, but in this case the 11.5% reduction on my electricity consumption was very well received. There was just one downside...
...having to admit to the Good Energy Shop team that they were right!
It's manufactured in East Sussex and I was pleasantly surprised to discover that a UK factory can still manage to produce something this useful whilst keeping the cost sufficiently low so that it compares favourably with its imported competitors.
The instructions are all on one sheet of paper together with a diagram that makes it very easy to set up the monitoring system, but sadly the box is made from polystyrene, which is really difficult to recycle. The Eco-eye comes with non-rechargeable batteries and (just in case you've lost yours) a very useful little key for your meter box. Setting it up was a piece of cake, but this might have been because I'd already set up another electricity monitor (the Efergy) so I'm now a bit of an expert!
The Eco-eye measures the amount of electricity you are using in kWh and estimates the cost and consumption per day, month or year. It can calculate your CO2 emissions and has a memory function so you can see how much electricity you've used in the last few hours, days or weeks.
Brigit's Summary of all meters
Since we first started using our energy monitor a couple of years ago, we have without doubt reduced our electricity consumption considerably. Being able to see how much electricity you are using and how much it's costing you makes you acutely aware of which appliances use the most energy seeing the monitor jump from 0.35 to 3.35kw when you switch the kettle on is truly scary and turned me into a bit of an electricity anorak!
When you first connect the monitor it's fascinating to watch the figures fluctuate and to be able to reduce the figures by changing your behaviour and the way you use the appliances. In the long term the monitor provides you with a constant reminder of how much electricity you are using and alerts you if there are any appliances left on before you leave the house or go to bed.
Different monitors will appeal to different people for different reasons. I like gadgets to be simple and I don't like spending unnecessary time and effort trying to extract information so the Wattson's not for me I'm afraid. I also thought £150 was a lot of money...at that price you'd need to save over 1110kw to pay for it which is the same as boiling a kettle continuously for 15 days! The Efergy would pay itself back after you'd saved 333kW and the Eco-eye after 296kW.
On balance I would recommend the Eco-eye because it's the least expensive, does the job without any fuss and it is made in the UK.
I've found this extremely useful. We discovered, for instance, just how uneconomical our 10 year old upright freezer was to run, and as a result have replaced it with a modern, more economical one. We are also giving one to our daughter and son-in-law for Christmas!
The Eco-eye is a really neat little energy monitor with an ‘easy-to-read' screen and is the least expensive of all the monitors I tested. It's manufactured in East Sussex and I was pleasantly surprised to discover that a UK factory can still manage to produce something this useful whilst keeping the cost sufficiently low so that it compares favourably with its imported competitors.
The instructions are all on one sheet of paper together with a diagram that makes it very easy to set up the monitoring system, but sadly the box is made from polystyrene, which is really difficult to recycle. The Eco-eye comes with non-rechargeable batteries and (just in case you've lost yours) a very useful little key for your meter box. Setting it up was a piece of cake, but this might have been because I'd already set up another electricity monitor (the Efergy) so I'm now a bit of an expert!
The Eco-eye measures the amount of electricity you are using in kWh and estimates the cost and consumption per day, month or year. It can calculate your CO2 emissions and has a memory function so you can see how much electricity you've used in the last few hours, days or weeks.
Brigit's Summary of all meters
Since we first started using our energy monitor a couple of years ago, we have without doubt reduced our electricity consumption considerably. Being able to see how much electricity you are using and how much it's costing you makes you acutely aware of which appliances use the most energy seeing the monitor jump from 0.35 to 3.35kw when you switch the kettle on is truly scary and turned me into a bit of an electricity anorak!
When you first connect the monitor it's fascinating to watch the figures fluctuate and to be able to reduce the figures by changing your behaviour and the way you use the appliances. In the long term the monitor provides you with a constant reminder of how much electricity you are using and alerts you if there are any appliances left on before you leave the house or go to bed.
Different monitors will appeal to different people for different reasons. I like gadgets to be simple and I don't like spending unnecessary time and effort trying to extract information so the Wattson's not for me I'm afraid. I also thought £150 was a lot of money...at that price you'd need to save over 1110kw to pay for it which is the same as boiling a kettle continuously for 15 days! The Efergy would pay itself back after you'd saved 333kW and the Eco-eye after 296kW.
On balance I would recommend the Eco-eye because it's the least expensive, does the job without any fuss and it is made in the UK.
The mini eco-eye is sleek, discrete and stylish. From removal from the box to fully operational takes no longer than five minutes, especially as they include both batteries and a meter cupboard key in the package.
Once up and running, you can leave the display showing either kW, £ or Co2 usage. The history function is useful and easy to use. You can flick back over the days and weeks to see your usage pattern. If the information is used to reduce usage, then seeing this reflected in the history is rewarding. I have also tested the Efergy. Functionality wise, they are very similar, but the Eco-eye was much easier to use and better presented.
The display is easy to see, although as the Mini eco-eye is quite small it is easy to forget it unlike some of the other devices on the market.
I am certain most people would be able to recoup the cost over a year of use from the saving they make from switching things off. My tip is to put it near the front door then you can see if you've left anything on before you leave.