Chance to borrow energy monitor from East Sussex libraries

Every East Sussex resident can now keep a close eye on their electricity usage at home by borrowing an energy monitor from their local library.

Following successful pilot schemes in Eastbourne, Hastings, Bexhill and Lewes, energy monitors are now available to borrow, free, from all East Sussex public libraries across the county.

So far, more than 800 residents have tried them out.

The monitors show how much electricity a householder is using at any given moment, how much money this costs and an estimate of the carbon dioxide produced in generating the electricity.

You can see immediately the effect on your consumption when you switch off something that is on stand-by, or turn something on, and identify where savings can be made.

The easy-to-fit monitor features a sensor that clips around a domestic incoming supply cable, usually close to the property's meter.

This plugs into a transmitter that sends real-time electricity consumption data to a portable display monitor that you can carry around your house or flat.

Energy monitors are can be borrowed for an initial three-week loan with the option to renew them for a further three weeks.

There is no cost for borrowing a monitor.

If you are not already a registered East Sussex library user, library staff will be happy to arrange registration. It only takes a minute, and anyone who lives or works in East Sussex qualifies.

Councillor Matthew Lock, Lead Cabinet Member for Transport and Environment said “At a time when we’re all trying to save cash, saving energy makes sense.

"These portable meters are really easy to use and can show you your ‘energy devils’ – those gadgets that are using electricity on stand-by and appliances that are much more energy-hungry than you thought.”