From guessing to knowing: How Rich is taking control of his home energy use
With two EVs, three refrigerators, a hot tub, and Buffalo winters to contend with, Rich wanted a clearer picture of where his household energy was going. Sense helped him see what was using energy—and find simple ways to use less.
When a particularly high winter electricity bill arrived, Rich joked with his wife: “What are you running, a small business in the basement when I’m not home?”
But behind the joke was a real question. His Buffalo, New York home has plenty of energy demands, including two electric vehicles, three refrigerators, a hot tub and electric heating in one room. He knew it all added up, but he couldn’t see exactly where the energy was going.
That changed after National Grid installed a new smart meter at his home. A neighbor told Rich about the Sense app and helped him get started.
At first, Rich could see his home’s real-time energy use. Then, as the app began identifying devices including his garage door opener, sump pump and lights, the picture became much clearer.
“It makes you become aware of things that are running that you thought, ‘How much could that be?’” he says. “Now I’ve seen it in black and white.”
Turning insight into action
Rich now checks the Sense app every day. Sometimes he opens it out of curiosity; other times he wants to test the impact of a particular appliance or piece of equipment.
One evening, he used the app to investigate the home theater equipment and ambient lighting he usually left on overnight. After switching everything off, he watched his home’s energy use fall by roughly 300 watts.
“I thought it was like dead, kind of just sitting there,” he says. “But when it’s sitting there, it’s still drawing 300 to 400 watts.”
That small discovery could add up. If 300 watts ran for ten hours every night, it would use a little over 1,000 kilowatt-hours in a year. At Rich’s current electricity rate, that’s around $240. His fix? Simply turn it off.
“That’s like 300 watts I don’t have to use,” he says. “I never thought it was that much.”
Sense has also helped Rich spot the bigger energy users around his home. He can see an EV start charging, or notice when the air conditioning or hot tub kicks on—even when he’s away.
“I can see if the air conditioning is kicking on right now,” he says. “I’m not even home. I can turn the app on and I know by the numbers what’s going on.”
That visibility has prompted other changes. Rich has adjusted his air-conditioning settings, used fans to move cool air through the house instead of running an additional mini-split system, and decided to close the hot tub for the winter rather than keeping it heated when the family uses it less often.
A new meter, and a new way to use it
Smart meter rollouts tend to arrive with a certain amount of suspicion attached, and Rich’s neighborhood was no exception. He heard the complaints, and he has a straightforward answer for them.
“The new meter isn’t charging you more,” he says. “We were already paying more. The new meter is just breaking it down more.”
That distinction matters to him. The meter did not change what his household was using; it changed how precisely that usage could be measured. What the Sense app added was access to the same detail, on his own phone, in real time.
“With this app hooked to the meter, you can break it down yourself and see,” he says. “Use something that helps you see what you’re using in your house.”
Rich now describes the new meter as a plus rather than something to be wary of — not because his bill went down overnight, but because it made the information available in the first place.
Making energy use feel manageable
For Rich, the smart meter has become a plus: it gives him access to information he didn’t have before.
“It’s almost like a game now,” he says. “I want to use less. Like, what can I do to use less?”
He is still waiting to see how his new habits are reflected in future electricity bills, but the app is already showing that his usage is lower than it was the previous month.
Now he’s the one telling the neighbors
Rich has only been using the app for around a month, but he is already recommending it to friends and family. He has shown others what the app looks like, shared screenshots and offered to help them get set up.
“I’m one of your advocates now,” he says. “It’s a good app, so you might as well talk about it.”
His advice to a new user is simple: start with something you can switch on and off, watch what happens to your home’s energy use, and build from there.
“It definitely makes you more aware,” Rich says. “Now I see it. So now I know how much it’s using. It’s not a guessing game anymore.”
Do you have a sense-enabled smart meter via your utility? Check to see if you’re eligible to use the Sense Home app here.*
*Please note that not all utilities utilize this eligibility tracker. If you’re eligible, you can start enjoying the real-time benefits of Sense.