The €30 device people are using to cut their energy bills
Energy monitors are selling out. We tested whether the data actually changes behaviour.
6 September 2026 · 6 min read
The device itself does nothing to your consumption. It measures. What changes the bill is what you do after seeing the number, and in our month-long test that turned out to be quite a lot.
What the readings showed
Standby draw was the surprise. Three devices in the test home were drawing power continuously for no benefit, and the combined figure across a month was not trivial.
- Set-top box left on standby: the single largest silent draw
- A second fridge in the garage, half empty
- A desktop machine sleeping rather than shutting down
None of these are revelations. The point of the monitor is that it converts a vague suspicion into a number, and numbers get acted on.
Whether it pays for itself depends entirely on whether you change anything. If you plug it in, read it once and forget it, you have bought a €30 ornament.
Daan Hofman
Technology reporter
Daan writes about gadgets, energy use and the quiet ways devices cost you money.
One email a week. Every deal, checked.
No spam, no filler. Just the prices, recalls and stories that affect your week.
