The Smartest DIY Home Improvements

In trial tests for the PowerCost Monitor™ in Canada and the United States, many people have enjoyed real savings on their electricity bills. There are a number of questions which interested consumers have asked us about the PowerCost Monitor™. For your convenience, we've listed the most frequently asked questions below.

A:The PowerCost Monitor™ is compatible with over 90% of meters deployed in North America, including both traditional disk meters, and newer digital meters.

There are however specific models and limitations that prevents installation on every meter. The following list highlights the most common digital meters that have a pulse for the sensor to trigger off of and those that do not. For disk meters, if the sensor can "see" the black mark and disk from the front, then alignment is possible, provided there is no plate covering the disk.

If your meter is not listed, or if you have any questions as to why your meter is not supported, please feel free to email tech@smarthomeusa.com and a trained technician will respond to your query.

• CENTRON by Itron/Schlumberger
• I-210 by GE iCon by Sensus
• R1S, REX by Elster
• Disk meters with Black mark clearly visible

• FOCUS by Landis & Gyr (Triangular port at the 3:00 position)
• Schlumberger MT100/200 Hybrids
• A1R+ and A3TL by Elster (Alpha)
• GE Kv2 Series
• Altimus by Siemens and Landis & Gyr
• ASX/RSX by Landis & Gyr
• Disk meters with plates covering the disk and black mark
• Net Metering (Disk spinning in both directions or digital meters displaying bi-directional amounts)

The PowerCost Monitor™ consists of two components - a small display (which you can place anywhere inside your home) and a sensor unit (which you attach to your electricity meter). The display unit, located inside the home, receives a wireless signal from the sensor unit which is attached to the outside of your electricity meter. The sensor unit can be easily installed by the homeowner. The sensor unit transmits your meter information to the in-home display unit where your electricity information is displayed in kilowatt hours and dollars and cents.

The PowerCost Monitor™ is not a utility meter. The PowerCost Monitor™ simply displays your electricity usage in dollars and cents and kilowatt-hours. It is not a utility meter and is not intended for billing purposes. Data displayed on the PowerCost Monitor™ is provided for informational purposes only. Owing to timing of meter reads by your utility and combinations of flat rate charges and consumption-based charges, the "Total" readings on your display will not exactly match what you see on your electric bill.

A:The Centron meter made by either Itron or Schlumberger (Same C1S(R)meter) is slightly different than a standard disk meter. Please follow the instructions in the Installation Guide, and here are a few extra tips for installation and troubleshooting on Centron:

1. Ensure high load appliance is turned on and remains on during installation (Clothes dryer or oven work well)
2. Ensure arm is tucked in all the way down into the casing, not angled, and that the LEDs are visible
3. Darker (red) LED is what needs to line up over pipe
4. If the solid red light does not go to flashing after 30 seconds, press the reset button again to start the cycle fresh
5. If unsure what the red light behavior should be, remove arm with pliers so that it is free, clear, and basically hanging by wire; hold LED over pipe and press reset button. You will then see the behavior. Re-insert the arm into the casing and try the install again.
6. Sensor body should sit at approximately 12:00 position
7. Push the sensor all the way back, and then bring it forward maybe ¼ inch. This is where the red light should go from solid to flashing
8. Installing the clamp first through the sensor ensures that when you have the alignment, you can tighten the clamp at that point and ensure you have not moved the sensor
9. It is always a good idea to press the reset button right after you tighten the clamp to ensure you didn't affect alignment while tightening
10. Red light will go off after 2 minutes no matter if successfully aligned, or still trying in order to save batteries. (the red light is our initial help to get alignment, but then is not needed - for the CENTRON digital meter, you should see 1 flash per second, not a flash only when you move it around)

A:Yes. Canadian and other international customers can purchase our PowerCost Monitor by clicking "Buy Now" above, or phoning 1-888-843-9103.

A:No. The PowerCost Monitor™ does not require an electrician for installation. The PowerCost Monitor™ has been designed so that it is easy for you to install onto your electric meter.

A:The PowerCost Monitor™ can help reduce your energy consumption and realize savings of 6-18% on your electrical bill. In addition, you will be helping conserve the earth's natural resources and protect the environment.

It also displays the outside temperature. This may report back high in direct sunlight, but is a useful feature for many customers.

A:The PowerCost Monitor™ can be used by any consumer of electricity, residential or commercial. The PowerCost Monitor™ is used by customers across North America. There are over 100,000+ units deployed to date!

The PowerCost Monitor™ is a great tool for anyone looking to help conserve energy, protect the environment or just save a few dollars.

A:Yes, the PowerCost Monitor™ will accommodate up to nine-tiered rate structures. Instructions on how to program your unit with tiered rates are included in the Quick Start Guide of your PowerCost Monitor package.

Also, 2 and 3 slot Time of Use structures are no problem for the device!

Q: Why are there different product numbers and pictures of the PowerCost Monitor™?

A:Blue Line is constantly updating the features of the product to meet the requests and requirements of all customers. As new revisions and new releases are completed and available, the product number and look of the device changes.