Track Appliance Energy Usage on a Budget
If you don’t want to install a full home monitor in your breaker panel, you can use smart plugs with built-in energy monitoring. These plugs report the exact wattage and monthly energy costs of whatever is plugged into them. Here are the best energy-monitoring smart plugs.
1. Kasa Smart Plug Power Strip HS300 (Best for Media Centers)
This smart power strip features 6 individually controlled outlets, each with independent energy monitoring. It is perfect for tracking the power draw of your entire TV setup.
2. Emporia Smart Plug (Best for Cost Tracking)
Emporia’s smart plug integrates with their energy app, allowing you to enter your local utility rates to see the exact dollar cost of running your space heater or portable fan.
3. Sonoff S31 (Best for DIY Smart Homes)
A highly reliable, compact Zigbee/Wi-Fi smart plug that is popular in the Home Assistant community for local, offline energy monitoring.
