Steplight

The features of the Power Meter are outlined here. On this page we have listed some of the common questions about the power meter.

How accurate are the readings?

We have tested the Steplight / Watts Clever Power Meter against high-end (expensive) power meters such as the PowerMate (~$300). The readings from our power meter of actual power consumption (Watts) are comparable to those produced by the PowerMate.

The unit also featured in a recent power meter review by CHOICE.

What is the lowest power consumption it can measure?

The lowest readings we have seen are for small power supplies (about 1 watt). For example, the power supply for our wireless energy monitor reads 0.4 watts.

How does the clock / timer work?

The clock will initially show Minutes : Seconds, and then Hours : Minutes after one minute has passed.

After 1 day the 24 hour timer resets to 0 and ’1′ is added to the Day counter. To see the total appliance run-time go to the ‘kWh’ screen where total Days are displayed in addition to the 24 hour timer. For example, after 55 hours of an appliance using more than 0 watts it will read 2 Day and 07:00.

Why does the timer stop?

The timer will stop accumulating when the plugged-in appliance drops to 0 watts.

You can use this feature to measure actual run-time of appliances. For example, you can plug your fridge in for 24 hours and observe the clock to see how much of that time the compressor was actually running. This is great for troubleshooting ‘problem’ loads around your home.

The Timer, Cost and kWh will all continue to accumulate until you hit the master reset button in the middle of the Power Meter.

I’m not getting a response from my meter, is it faulty?

Sometimes, when using the power meter for the first time, the internal rechargeable battery needs to charge up. Simply plug your power meter into a power point that is switched on without an appliance attached. After a few hours of charging, plug an appliance into the power meter and press reset. It should be working as normal. If not, please contact us.

Does the Power Meter measure Real or Apparent Power?

Our power meter measures ‘Real Power’ – this is what you are billed for. Power is measured instantaneously in Watts (W) and over time in kilowatt-hours (kWh). Other cheap power meters do not perform measurements accurately and do not always display real power.

The power meter will show you (among other things): volts (V), amps (A), power factor and real power (W).

This is how you calculate real power in watts (don’t worry, the meter does this for you!)

• Volts x Amps x Power Factor (as a fraction of 1) = Watts

For example:

• 250 volts x 0.7 amps x 0.60 power factor = 105 Watts (Real Power)
• 250 volts x 0.7 amps = 175 VA (Apparent Power)

You can see from the above example why getting this calculation right is important. Other power meters sometimes fail to do this correctly.

Can you provide some more information about setting the cost?

The cost isn’t pre-set to cents or dollars, it is just a number (’00.00′), so you can set it however you like.

For example, if your electricity rate is 20c per kWh we recommend setting the price at ’00.20′ (as in $00.20), rather than ’20.00′ (as in 20.00 cents).

Click here to see our full range of energy meters and monitors.

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