One of the easiest places to start saving is with lightbulbs. Did you know that in an average home with 20 light bulbs, you can save over $100 a year by switching from incandescents to LED bulbs? And that includes the upfront cost.
Not sure what types of lights you have? Let’s use the Power Meter to find out.
01
Wait til it's quiet
Wait until your Power Meter is relatively flat.
02
ON
Turn your light on.
03
Watch the Power Meter
Watch the wattage change in the Power Meter.
04
OFF
Turn your light off.
05
Write it down
Write down what you see. Try this out in different rooms to get a better picture of your whole home. And don’t forget about out-of-the-way bulbs, like your outdoor floodlights.
Identify your bulbs
Compare your results to these wattage ranges to find out what bulbs you have and how much they’re costing you.
In almost all cases, you should switch immediately to LEDs to start seeing savings. With Sense, it’ll be easy to quantify those savings. If you’re worried about the “cold” glow of LEDs or the high price, modern bulbs are far superior to their counterparts of ten years ago and much cheaper too.
NOTE: You can also use the Watt Check feature in the Sense Home App to perform a similar test on your lights and/or other small devices throughout your home that turn on and off.
This kind of Power Meter test can be used on any appliance, large or small, so long as it has a clear and consistent on and off function. Devices with variable speeds will not offer consistent results, and an appliance that is "always on" (such as a refrigerator) is also much harder to estimate using this method.