Honest Smart Home Reviews, Made for the UK
Here’s a scene that plays out in solar households up and down the country: the panels go up, the inverter blinks into life, and for about a fortnight everyone in the house is obsessed with checking the little screen in the cupboard under the stairs. Then life happens, the novelty wears off, and the system … Read more
Here’s a scene most solar owners know too well: the sun’s been blazing all afternoon, your panels have clearly been working overtime, and yet your evening bill still stings. Without visibility into what your system is actually doing, you’re flying blind — and a solar battery monitoring add-on is the instrument panel you’ve been missing. … Read more
Here’s a confession most energy suppliers won’t put in their welcome pack: a time of use tariff only saves you money if you actually know when the cheap hours are and whether you’re using them. Sign up to Economy 7, forget to shift the washing machine, and you’ve just paid for a fancier meter that … Read more
Right, let’s address the elephant in the meter cupboard: Octopus Agile is brilliant right up until you forget to check the app and end up running your tumble dryer at 5:30pm, at which point you’re paying more than double what a night-owl neighbour pays for the exact same load of towels. An energy monitor for … Read more
There’s a particular kind of dread that comes with opening an energy bill and having absolutely no idea why it’s so much higher than last month’s. Was it the tumble dryer? The immersion heater somebody left on overnight? A whole home energy monitor clamp exists to end that guesswork, in plain terms: it’s a current … Read more
Somewhere on your kitchen worktop, or wedged behind the toaster, there’s probably a little screen nobody looks at anymore. That’s the fate of most supplier-issued in-home displays — a promising idea that quietly gathered dust. The Hildebrand Glow vs Loop energy monitor question is really about resurrecting that promise: turning raw smart meter data into … Read more
If you’ve ever stood in your kitchen watching the little number on your in-home display climb while the kettle boils, you already understand the appeal of a smart meter add-on. It scratches an itch your supplier’s basic kit never quite reaches. The best smart meter add-on doesn’t replace the free display your energy company bolted … Read more
There’s a very specific kind of despair that comes from crouching behind a desk with three plugs in one hand and a single free socket staring back at you. If that sounds familiar, you’re exactly who this guide is for. A good multi socket smart extension does more than just multiply your sockets — it … Read more
Here’s a very British kind of annoyance: you buy a smart plug, plug it in with a flourish, and then discover it’s swallowed the entire double socket whole. The neighbouring outlet is now hostage to a plastic brick the size of a fist. If you’ve ever stood in your kitchen holding a smart plug in … Read more
There’s a particular kind of dread that comes with opening your electricity bill in a country where the price cap seems to move every three months like clockwork. You squint at the total, you think about the tumble dryer, and you wonder — genuinely wonder — which appliance is the actual culprit. A smart plug … Read more