Getting Started in Your First 30-90 Days
Ready to explore your home in a whole new way? Sense turns your smart meter into a live, learning view of your energy so you always know what’s happening, what’s driving your usage, and where you can save. This guide walks you through your first 30-90 days with Sense.
Welcome to Sense!
Sense turns your smart meter into something much more useful: a real-time view of how your home uses energy.
Instead of guessing between bills, you can see what’s happening in your home right now. Over time, Sense also learns your devices so your energy use starts to make sense at the appliance level, not just the whole home.
This guide is here to help you get comfortable in your first 30–90 days. You don’t need to do everything at once. Value builds as Sense learns your home and as you explore a few features along the way.
How Sense Works With Your Smart Meter
Your utility is upgrading the grid with next-generation smart meters that capture detailed energy data throughout the day.
Sense takes that data and turns it into something you can actually use.
It helps you:
- See how your home is using energy in real time
- Understand what’s driving your usage
- Find opportunities to save energy and money
- Take part in utility programs designed to improve grid efficiency
To learn more, check out this blog: 👉 Next-Gen Smart Meters Have Arrived. Why That’s a Good Thing
Getting Started in Your First 30-90 Days
First 30 Days: Explore Your Home
Start by getting a feel for your energy in real time.
Once setup is complete, open Power Meter and watch your usage live. Turn something on, then off…you’ll see the change instantly.
At this stage, it’s about awareness:
- See how much energy your home is using right now in the Power Meter
- Explore when your home is most active with Usage
- Witness daily routines show up in your data
30-60 Days: Understand Your Home More
Now Sense begins connecting the dots.
You’ll start to see devices appear as usage patterns emerge. This is where you start to get to know your home in a whole new way.
Focus on:
- Naming devices you recognize in your Device list
- Using Watt Check to measure specific appliances and see their impact
- Noticing your biggest energy users
- Spotting patterns across days and weeks
Small feedback like this helps Sense get more accurate over time.
60-90 Days: Start Taking Control
By now, your energy use starts to feel clearer and more actionable.
This is where you can begin making simple changes that add up:
- Shift when you run high-energy appliances based on usage patterns
- Reduce unnecessary Always On usage
- Use alerts and insights to guide better habits
It’s not about changing everything. It’s about knowing what matters most.
A Few Helpful Tips
- Device learning improves as you use the app and give feedback
- Simple naming helps keep your home organized and insights clearer
- Usage trends become more useful the longer you use Sense
- Notice something that seems slightly off? Be sure to log it in case a new energy pattern emerges!
Why It Matters
Better visibility leads to better decisions.
When you can see how your home uses energy, you can start to:
- Try shifting some usage to off-peak hours to save when possible
- Reduce waste from devices you don’t think about
- Make smarter upgrade decisions over time
Small changes add up to large impacts.
Still have questions or feel stuck? Contact Sense Support or browse more in the Help Center.