Like many power companies, our local company rolled out smart meters a few years ago. These smart meters are in constant communication with the power company. Benefits for this include real-time monitoring capabilities and the elimination of meter reads. Drawbacks are, according to some, increased exposure to RF radiation as the communication takes place. Like it or not, they are here to stay. Our company, DTE Energy, made it really cool. They came up with a device called an Energy Bridge and an app called DTE Insight that allowed real time monitoring of your usage. They recently rolled out DTE Insight v3. Here’s my review.
Energy Bridge and DTE Insight
The Energy Bridge and the DTE Insight app went hand in hand. With the app, any electric customer could monitor their usage. It provided breakdowns by day, week, and month. You typically had access to your statistics after a day or two. With the Energy Bridge device, it moved this up to real-time. This device had a data connection that you plugged into your home router. It paired with your electric meter, and you could view your usage in real time.