Energy costs at a glance: With this app you always have an overview of the meter readings for gas and electricity
There are meters for electricity, gas and water that show consumption. A tracking app like EHW+ makes it very easy to calculate costs and determine whether cost-cutting measures are having an effect.
The fear of high energy costs is spreading. What can you do about it? Initiate fun measures and keep track. Because the service charge statement does not have to come as a surprise. It is recommended that you have a look at the meter readings for electricity and gas.
You can record this in a small Excel spreadsheet, for example, or in a more modern way with an app.
EHW+
is such an app that is available for Android and iOS. It can be used free of charge, but also offers a premium version for 59 cents (Android) or 99 cents (iOS) per month.
The premium version provides more statistics and also supports feed-in meters for photovoltaic systems. The developer always grants a free trial period of three days. Currently you can do this with code
ITS GETTING CLOSE
extend to 90 days. This currently only works with Android, but there will soon be an update for the iPhone app so that the code can also be redeemed there.
Meter readings in the app
Using the app is easy. You create new entries for your meters and then enter the meter readings at regular intervals. You don’t have to do this every day, but if you want to test larger power-saving measures, for example, a weekly check is worthwhile.
Get supported:
- Electricity meter (also high-rate/low-rate meter)
- Water meters (hot water/cold water)
- oil heaters
- gas heaters
- radiators/district heating
- stove
For feed-in meters from
Photovoltaic systems, solar heat collectors and for
drain meter requires the premium subscription. In addition to the history of the meter readings, you can also display statistics graphically. For example, you can see the development of consumption and whether you will have to pay more.
The free version of the app doesn’t put any thumbscrews on you. You can store all your meters and any number of readings in the app. There is no restriction. Provide the readings with the date and exact time.
For an overview of costs, you should enter the current prices from your utility contracts. Otherwise, the app calculates with average values, which show whether savings measures help, but only the concrete prices give you a precise view of your situation.
The item “Activities” is interesting: Here you can create activities such as washing, bathing or ironing and find out how much it costs to fill a bathtub or a load of colored laundry. To do this, enter the current meter reading and add the action to the meters involved.
Good idea: the developer lets users vote on the next features. As it looks, there will probably soon be the possibility to deposit a photo with the meter readings as security in case there are disputes with the supplier.
CHIP