Meter Maids: How to monitor your own household's energy usageReader submitted

On a daily basis, many households are unaware of how much energy they are using. As a result, commodities like gas and electricity are often used too liberally, resulting in shockingly high bills. By becoming more aware of your energy expenditure, it is possible to figure out what you can cut back on easily, which could potentially save you hundreds of dollars a year.

DIY energy monitoring: Where to start

Whether your provider is Ambit Energy or another company, there are ways of monitoring your expenditure without buying any fancy gadgets. All households have gas and electricity meters; while they may look confusing, you can use the figures you see on a daily basis to monitor how much you use.

Start this process by recording your kWh when you get up in the morning. Do not look at it again until the next morning, and note how many kWh you have used. On the second day, you should go around your home and see how many electrical devices are pointlessly operating. The key culprits are cell phone chargers that are either not connected to anything, or are charging a phone that does not need charging. Closely following these are laptop chargers, which can also waste electricity needlessly. You should also keep an eye out for any devices that have been left with standby lights on; these include microwaves, washing machines, and TVs. In terms of gas, you should try to place your central heating on a timer so that it blasts out for half-an-hour every once in a while, rather than being left on all day.

DIY energy monitoring: Figuring out your savings

Once you have made the above cuts, you should begin recording how much energy you use in kWh. You should record the figures from left to right, but ignore the final figure on your meter which will have a .01 below it. If you have a single rate, the number of kWh you have used should be multiplied by the per kWh rate you are charged by your energy supplier. This should be available on your latest bill, or you can call their customer service team and ask them how much you pay.

In some instances, you may be paying two rates; one for the evening, and one for the daytime. If this is the case, you will be given two different meter readings per type of energy used. These meters are read in the same way as single meters, but will have different rates.

Finally, you may have a dial meter rather than one that reads from left to right. In this case, read your meter clockwise. Make sure you read the lower number when the dial rests in-between, as this will give you the most accurate charge prediction. Multiply your reading against the kWh, as detailed above.

By using the above meter reading method, you will be able to anticipate how much your monthly bill will be. These readings may also be provided to your energy supplier, so that they can charge you for the amount you are using.

Natasha Risinger has made a living for herself helping homeowners with their monthly budgets. One area she loves to write about is energy expenditures in homes.