Narrative Ecology – Blog of Ron Donaldson – fACILITATOR, TRAINER AND COACH

Yesterday I bought an OWL Wireless Energy Monitor and it really does live up to the hype, it changes your life immediately. All you do is fasten the transmitter around the mains electric cable as it leaves the meter, then swich on the receiver and hey presto your whole life changes.

For the first time, you have feedback that shows you the home’s entire electricity consumption converted into either pence per hour or tons of carbon per year. My first reaction was to run around the house with my eyes glued to the receiver, switching off appliances.

Switching off everything I could find I had the satisfaction of sitting in a silent house consuming no electricity as the meter showed a pleasing ZERO. I then put back on the garage chest freezer (it will have to go) and our kitchen freezer and fridge. I calculated that reducing the meter by a single penny per hour results in a yearly saving of just under £100.

Switching back on the Vigin V+ box I realised it costs 0.6 pence per hour whether on standby or playing recorded TV shows which equates to £60 per year or £5 per month just to keep it powered up. Multiply every V+, SKY+ and all the freeview hard drive recorders out there and you realise that this revolution in TV viewing is having a major impact on greenhouse gases, Richard Branson should be ashamed.

An owl or ‘efergy’ monitor should be compulsory in every home as it gives you direct input regarding cause and effect allowing you to monitor your switching on or off of lights, tv, computer, DVD, games consoles, phone chargers, kettle (wow the screen jumps a full 30p when you boil a brew), microwave, washing machine, iron …. Must go now as the candle only has a few more minutes of wick left.