Electricity Monitors

[love2sleep]

Have any of you bought one of those gadgets to monitor how much electricity you are using in the house. Are they useful? Do they work well? Which one should I buy? How much do I need to spend? etc etc.

Ona similar note, is it possible to install a MPG monitor in a fairly elderly car?

thanks

Think tesco.com do them.

There was something in the Guardian about this recently - see lifeandhealth.guardian.co.uk/family/story/0,,2276321,00.html

Cheers
gw

Thanks GW. This is fab.
I particularly like the bit about the TV man

Switch to Southern Electric, you get one free and it's pretty good.

I borrowed one for a while. They are great fun and truly terrifying when you turn your kettle / tumbler dryer / oven on etc. I was pretty good at not leaving things turned on before but am even stricter now.

a friend of mine said that when she got one (an Owl) she spent all her time running up and down the stairs to see what difference turning on lights etc. made. She was a bit regretful about the fact that they no longer feel they can use some of their favourite lights now...

Has anyone found anywhere that rents these out? I like the idea of trying one, but having one seems a bit mad (maybe I should just get one and then rent it out to all my friends and relations, hmm)

Oh yes, and another reason we don't have one is they do seem insanely expensive, and I keep thinking I'll get a smaller thing that you just plug particular appliances into (looks a bit like one of those timer plugs). Maplins do offers on them quite often, but I keep missing them!