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Home Energy Monitor Program

Watch your bill drop as you learn about your energy habits and make small changes that can make a big difference.

The Home Energy Monitor provides real-time tracking of your household electricity use in kilowatts, kilowatt hours, dollars and cents.1 Track your electricity use and see exactly where you could be saving.

  • Turn appliances on and off to see what your energy hogs are.
  • Compare today’s power usage with yesterday’s usage.
  • Automatically connect to your meter — no electrician set-up required.2

The monitor is available for check out at all three Poudre River Public Libraries. You can borrow the monitor just like a book. It’s that easy!

Device Features

Stand it on the kitchen counter or put it on the refrigerator. Make saving energy a family affair. Load the batteries or just plug it in, then call us at 855-350-1464 to activate the meter link. In moments you’re ready to start saving. (Service only available to Fort Collins Light & Power customers.)

  • Two buttons for scrolling
  • Secure, encrypted wireless link
  • Bright, backlit screen for easy reading
  • Mini USB port for downloading data
  • AC adapter included for always-on operation
  • Battery-powered for portability and back-up
  • Freestanding on flat surfaces, magnet mountable on metal surfaces or wall mountable with built-in keyholes
  • English, French or Spanish language selection
  • Dimensions: 4″ x 2 ¾” x 1″

  • Time

    View current time and date

  • Current Price

    View current cost per kWh1

  • Meter Reading

    View total accumulated energy (kWh) delivered to your home
    View any accumulated energy sent to the grid from your home

  • Previous Total

    Compare how you’re doing from the previous month, billing period or period you set

  • Monthly Total

    View accumulated usage for current month, or period you set

  • Daily Total

    Compare yesterday’s usage to today’s usage
    See last 24 hours usage in bar chart graphic (per hour)
    See total usage in kilowatt hours (kWh), dollars and cents1

  • Current Usage

    See your power usage as it happens in dollars and kilowatts
    Automatically updated every 5 – 30 seconds

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Using your Home Energy Monitor

  1. Shine a light on inefficient lighting.

    Try turning on and off different lights in your home and see the power difference in your monitor. (It may take up to 15 seconds for the monitor to update.) Find out which light(s) in your home are the most energy hungry and consider replacing them with CFLs or LEDs.

  2. Discover which appliance is burning a hole in your wallet.

    Learn through your monitor how much power is being used by your microwave, toaster, or electric oven. Repeat the observation with your electric dryer.

  3. Expose the power “vampires” draining you dry.

    Turn on your entertainment center and observe how much power is being used. Then turn it off and note how much power it is still using. Now unplug the entertainment center. Chances are when you unplugged the system the power usage of your home went even lower. Many electronics in your home use electricity even when they are turned “off.” Consider investing in smart power strips or unplugging electronics that are used only occasionally.

  4. Know your nightly energy usage.

    Just before going to bed and when your home is in “sleeping mode” (i.e. most lights and equipment is off) observe the amount of power being used by your home. Multiply that number by 0.24. The resulting number is an estimate of how many kWh are being used by your home “while you are sleeping” over the course of a month. Compare that number with the total monthly energy use of your home (from your latest energy bill). What is the fraction of energy being used “while you are sleeping” in your home? Ideally it should be 15% or less of your home’s total energy use.

Before calling 855-350-1464 to activate the meter link:

  1. Plug in the monitor and wait a few seconds for the device to boot. Push both buttons for about five seconds and release them.
  2. You will see a screen prompt asking you to “Restart?”. Push both buttons again for five seconds and release them.
  3. You will then see a screen prompt asking for “Hard Reset”. Select “Reset” with the upper button. When prompted “Are you sure?”, select “Disconnect from meter” with the upper button. Your monitor is now ready to connect to your electric meter.

The home energy monitors are unable to support Time-Of-Day pricing. You can find information on the price per kWh at http://www.fcgov.com/utilities/residential/rates/electric.

Purchasing your own Home Energy Monitor

Before you buy:

Fort Collins Utilities strongly recommends that you check out a unit from one of the Poudre River Public Libraries before purchasing your own Home Energy Monitor. This will enable you to ensure a successful pairing with the meter before buying, as there could be range issues, obstructions or Wi-Fi interference near your electric meter.

Given the large variety of Home Energy Monitors on the market, Fort Collins Utilities cannot guarantee all of them will work with the electric meter in your home.

The “Rainforest EMU-2” has been tested and verified for compatibility and cybersecurity requirements with Fort Collins Utilities Light and Power electric meters, although there could still be range issues, obstructions or Wi-Fi interference that would prevent a successful pairing in your home. It is the same model available to check out from the Poudre River Public Libraries.

If you purchase a different unit, Fort Collins Utilities will attempt to pair it with your electric meter but cannot guarantee customer support in the case of an unsuccessful pairing.

You can purchase a unit online at a variety of retailers. Currently there are no rebates for the Home Energy Monitor, and the devices at the library are not for sale.

Please use the Contact Us form to let us know that you have bought a unit. Instructions will be provided regarding next steps.

The process to upload the information in the software platform and send it to the electric meter in your home could take several days. You will be notified when the meter is ready to pair with your Home Energy Monitor.

  1. Dollars and cents information is not valid billing information. In addition, this functionality has to be programed by the user.
  2. The monitor needs to be within radio range of the meter. Typically within 75 feet of the electric meter. Range depends on number of walls and obstructions between meter and monitor.