Sense helped me utilize my solar energy

Device: AC
Make:
Model:
Estimated Savings:

During the summer, we know the majority of our energy costs are from cooling our home. Temperatures don’t get below 100 until after dark some days. We have solar panels, and I realized through the Sense app that I need to be cooling my house more before dark, while the sun is out!

Hot water heater in Performance Mode

Device: Water Heater
Make: Rheem
Model:
Estimated Savings:

I was getting electric bills in excess of 300 a month, which I knew to be about twice my normal. I purchased Sense to try and help me find the problem. Right out of the box I could see something kicking in 3 times an hour for like 13kwh. With a little process of elimination because Sense had not identified the unit yet, I was able to identify the culprit as the hot water heater. The hot water heater was really new, installed about 2 years ago and supposed to be energy efficient. I went and checked the setting and found it in performance mode. Set it to Energy Saver mode, and it uses a 10th of the energy it was using before.

Sense Is Helping Us Become Net Zero!

Device: Other Device
Make: Solar Panels
Model:
Estimated Savings:

We installed solar panels just before the end of last year (2018) and installed a new Sense Monitor at the same time. We have 15 rooftop panels on our old DC rowhouse, a 4.875 kW array in total. Our goal is to see if we can be a net zero energy home by the end of 2019.

Our electric bill while it varies from month to month can be as much as $1,000 per year especially after AC use during the hot DC summers. As a sustainability guru and Architect, when I heard that Sense was a smart home energy monitor capable of detecting appliances and other home devices, I was all in and ready to get one installed.

Dehumidifier savings

Device: Dehumidifier
Make:
Model:
Estimated Savings:

My dehumidifier was running all of the time so I took a look and was able to adjust it limiting the run time and lowering my energy usage.

Enjoying the hot tub in peace

Device: Pool Heater
Make: Hot Springs
Model: Prodigy
Estimated Savings:

I was concerned that my hot tub was driving up my electricity costs, and this concern led me to purchase Sense. I had previously quit using the hot tub and drained it, which led to any number of problems when it froze during the winter. I spent several hundred dollars replacing parts to get it back up and running, and now that Sense has found it I see that it actually wasn’t costing me that much money after all! I’m now using (and enjoying!) the hot tub without worrying about excessive cost, and I’m seeking out the real energy hogs in the house.

TV turned on randomly when not home

Device: TV
Make:
Model:
Estimated Savings:

I noticed sense showing a TV on, when nobody was home and I was sure it was off when we left. Turns out part of my home automation system was periodically checking on devices which caused my TV to power on. It then stayed on until the default sleep timer of 2 hours hit!

Pool pump replacement saves big on electricity

Device: Pool Pump
Make: Pentair
Model: Intellipro
Estimated Savings:

Living in Florida my pool pump runs 365 days a year. With Sense I was about to see that the new pump that was installed just before I bought the house was consuming over 2,300 watts. This pump operates for 8 hours a day, so it was the largest consumer of electricity after my three large heat pumps.