When my EDF Energy EcoManager arrived a couple of weeks ago my main worry was what wasteful, planet-killing habits it would expose. I also feared what learning the true price of electricity would do to my lifestyle: "It'll be bye-bye lovely warm baths, fully charged phone, watching TV with the cosy glow of my laptop on the sofa and hello all-consuming guilt," I wrote.
Reading that back now I sound so selfish: sod the planet, as long as I can check my emails while half watching the telly, with three radios on.
Like many people, I cherrypick which bits of the green message I listen to. I have fully embraced cycling, eat less meat and ask for tap water in restaurants. But not filling up a kettle unnecessarily, or leaving my laptop and mobile phone charging overnight, well, not quite so much.
After monitoring my electricity usage I've realised quite how lopsided this attitude is. There is no point studiously turning off lights when you leave the house if you fail to switch off your appliances before you go to bed.
The EcoManager helps put a figure on these inconsistencies – for example, it costs me £10 a year to leave two TVs on standby during the day. Not only that, but the EcoManager also makes it easier to control my usage by making the annoying job of turning numerous things off that bit easier.
About the author
Hannah is a freelance journalist who lives in east London with her partner. Despite often being found watching TV while working on her laptop with the radio playing in the kitchen, Hannah considers herself environmentally aware: she takes a keen interest in growing her own vegetables and cycles to work. Here she re-evaluates her energy consumption at home thanks to EDF Energy's EcoManager.
