How to Track Energy Usage at Home

Tracking energy usage at home is essential for reducing household expenses and advancing sustainability efforts. At Gexa Energy, we provide our customers with innovative tools and comprehensive insights to effectively monitor and optimize energy consumption. Our goal is to empower you to make informed decisions that can potentially lead to immediate savings and long-term environmental benefits.

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How to Track Energy Usage with a Smart Meter

Understanding your home's energy usage starts with the right technology. Smart meters, which are installed by your Transmission and Distribution Utility (TDU, also called a TDSP), play a crucial role by providing real-time data on your household's energy consumption. Not sure how these energy usage monitors work? Read our article, What is a Smart Electric Meter?

Benefits of Smart Meters and the Gexa App

Both smart meters and the Gexa App offer a host of advantages that can transform how you interact with your energy usage:

• Real-Time Data: Instant access to your consumption data helps identify peak usage times and can guide you to make adjustments that reduce costs.

• Historical Insights: Review past usage patterns to understand trends and evaluate the effectiveness of your energy-saving measures.

• Proactive Management: With timely data, you can proactively manage your energy use, avoiding surprises on your energy charges.

Enhanced Capabilities With the Gexa App

If you're wondering how to check electricity usage online, the Gexa Energy Mobile App can help. It’s designed to harness the power of smart meter data, providing a user-friendly interface to manage your energy:

• Detailed Usage Statistics: The app breaks down your usage by day, week, or month, giving you a clear picture of your energy habits.

• Bill Management: View, manage, and pay your bills directly from the app. Set up Auto Bill Pay to ensure you never miss a payment.

• Account Customization: Easily renew your energy plan or change account preferences, tailoring our service to fit your needs.

Other Types of Energy Usage Monitors

Smart meters are just the beginning of the tools available for monitoring home energy usage. Here are additional devices that can complement your smart meter and give you even more control over your energy consumption. 

1. Plug-in Energy Monitors

• Function: These devices plug into any standard outlet; you then plug an appliance into the monitor to track its energy usage.

• Benefits: Great for identifying “energy hogs” among your appliances and providing actionable insights on where you can reduce energy usage.

2. Whole-Home Energy Monitoring Systems

• Function: Installed at your electrical panel, these systems provide a detailed breakdown of energy consumption across different circuits or appliances.

• Benefits: Offers a detailed overview of where energy is being used in your home, helping to pinpoint specific areas of improvement.

3. Smart Plugs

• Function: Fits between a wall outlet and your appliance plug, controlled via a smartphone app to remotely turn appliances on or off.

• Benefits: Helps manage energy use by scheduling operating times for devices and reducing standby power consumption.

4. HVAC Energy Monitors

• Function: These energy usage monitors are specifically designed to track the energy use of your heating, ventilation, and air conditioning systems.

• Benefits: Vital for optimizing the largest energy consumers in many homes, ensuring they run efficiently and scheduling maintenance when needed.

5. Solar Energy Monitors

• Function: For homes equipped with solar panels, these monitors track the amount of solar energy produced, used, and exported to the grid.

• Benefits: Essential for maximizing the efficiency of solar installations and understanding the balance of solar vs. grid energy usage.

Energy-Saving Technologies

Integrating energy-efficient technologies into your home can lead to significant reductions in energy consumption, which is cost-effective and can also be environmentally beneficial. 

Benefits and Recommended Technologies

Energy-efficient technologies offer extensive advantages like:

• Cost Efficiency: Using less electricity can lower your energy bills. Opt for LED lighting vs. CFL lighting and ENERGY STAR® appliances, designed to consume minimal electricity without compromising performance.

• Convenience and Control: Learn how to use smart home automation to save energy. Smart home devices like thermostats and lights enable remote control and automation of home energy use. Smart thermostats, for example, adjust the heating and cooling based on your presence and preferences, reducing energy waste when you are not home.

• Longevity and Sustainability: These devices operate more efficiently and have a longer lifespan than traditional models, meaning less frequent replacements and reduced waste. LED lighting solutions use a fraction of the energy of conventional bulbs and typically last many times longer.

By choosing technologies such as smart thermostats, LED lighting, and high-efficiency appliances bearing the ENERGY STAR® label, you can ensure maximum energy savings while enhancing the functionality and sustainability of your home. These technologies are key to optimizing your home's energy efficiency and aligning with sustainable living practices.

Tips for Energy Efficiency

Enhancing your home's energy efficiency goes beyond installing advanced technologies and monitoring home energy usage; it also involves adopting mindful habits and maintenance routines. These practices are crucial for maximizing the benefits of your energy-efficient devices and systems.

Comprehensive Energy Efficiency Strategies

1. Regular Maintenance

• HVAC Systems: Schedule annual or semi-annual maintenance checks for your heating, ventilation, and air conditioning systems to ensure they operate at peak efficiency. Regular filter changes and system inspections can prevent energy wastage and extend the lifespan of your equipment.

• Energy Systems Check-Up: In addition to HVAC, consider periodic checks on other home systems, such as water heating and plumbing, to ensure there are no leaks or inefficiencies.

2. Mindful Energy Use

• Behavioral Adjustments: Simple actions such as turning off lights when leaving a room, using natural light during the day, and unplugging electronics when not in use can significantly reduce unnecessary energy consumption.

• Appliance Management: To maximize efficiency and cost-effectiveness, operate washing machines and dishwashers only when full and, if possible, when energy pricing is lower.

3. Goal Setting and Monitoring

• Use the Gexa Energy App: Leverage our app to set realistic electricity consumption goals based on your historical data and average usage patterns. The app can help you track your daily and monthly usage, alert you when you're about to exceed your set limits, and provide tips customized to your usage habits.

• Review and Adjust: Once you learn how to check electricity usage online using the app, regularly review the effectiveness of your energy-saving strategies and adjust your goals and methods as needed. This could involve shifting more activities to off-peak hours, changing the settings on your smart thermostat, or even reassessing the insulation and sealing of your home.

Engaging the Whole Household

Encourage all household members to participate in energy-saving practices and monitor home energy usage. Educate them about the benefits and techniques, and perhaps even create challenges or rewards for meeting energy-saving milestones. A collective effort can significantly amplify the impact of individual actions.

Now You Know How to Track Energy Usage!

Effective electricity management is crucial for both economic and environmental sustainability. Gexa Energy is committed to supporting your journey toward a more energy-efficient home. Learn how to pick the right electricity plan to help manage your energy consumption more effectively.