Smappee Vs. Sense: Which Energy Monitor Is Better?

When it comes to trying to pare down the high price of energy, people are getting crafty. They’re getting eco-friendly materials for their homes. They’re adding insulation. Oh, and they’re also getting some devices that make it easy to help curb your energy use, such as energy monitors. You might be wondering what’s getting your bill high. Should you get a Smappee or a Sense?

Smappee tends to have anecdotally more accurate readings and a slightly lower price. Sense also offers better warranties, though Smappee does have a full web portal. Smappee is easier to install, which also adds to its affordability. Most agree Smappee is better for the money.

Figuring out which one is right for you is a little rough at times. Thankfully, you can get a lot more awesome advice on your decision by reading the guide I gave you.

Smappee is generally going to be the cheaper of the two, but that doesn’t mean that it’s a bad program. Smappee charges $249 for its basic style and $349 for its solar-compatible option. If you go with Sense, it’s going to be $299 for the basic and $399 for the solar-compatible option.

Price is always going to be an important point, but that doesn’t mean that you should take it as the be-all and end-all of your decision. Most electricity monitoring platforms are going to be in the same price range, so don’t let Sense or Smappee’s high price tags dissuade you from using them.

Verdict: Smappee is going to be cheaper, especially when you take into account installation. (We’re going to get to that in a sec.)

If we were going to be honest, Smappee and Sense both have fairly easy installation methods. They both attach to your fusebox. However, Smappee is generally seen as the easier one and is the only one that you can really install on your own without any worry.

Sense often requires the assistance of an electrician. And by “often,” we meant that it’s actually considered to be the best way to do it and that we have actually seen documents saying it’s best to stick to pro installation. This actually can add to the bill that you would have to get a Sense sensor.

Verdict: If you’re nervous about installing energy sensors on your own, I can’t blame you for choosing to use a professional electrician to install yours regardless of which you choose. However, Smappee wins by a hair.

So, both Smappee and Sense are great when it comes to detecting energy use throughout your home. They both have a little learning curve. While both are designed to pick up basic appliances like refrigerators or water heaters, it will take them some time for the device to be able to pick up smaller appliances. It’s just the way they work.

It’s worth giving both models time to adjust, though we couldn’t find any exact timeframes for either. Overall, the gist seems to be that they make it easier to figure out your top drains fairly well. We have heard that Smappee is better, but only slightly so.

Verdict: Both seem to be accurate on the same level, at least when we look at the statistical evidence. Anecdotally, it seems like Smappee ended up getting the competitive edge here, too.

In order to learn what items are eating up energy, you’re going to have to have a way to see them. Both Smappee and Sense have easy-to-use mobile apps on the iOS and Android markets that show each appliance’s use in real time. That’s awesome, right? Well, Smappee goes further with a free web app too.

If you are the type of person who does everything from your computer, then data accessibility from a web app is a huge boon. If you aren’t, though? It’ll make no difference. Both platforms have easy visuals, so there’s a lot to enjoy in terms of being able to figure things out at a glance.

Verdict: Smappee wins, simply because they offer even more accessibility.

We might as well take a quick look at the quality of the apps that are rolled out alongside the energy monitor, right? Well, both tend to have pretty straightforward graphs and charts. They both involve intuitive design that makes it a cinch to navigate them.

Though we love both apps, we had to take a look at both apps’ reviews. Smappee’s reviews from actual downloaders were better, and often by a large margin. It’s noted for its reliability and easy-to-read usage. While Sense had tons of good reviews, there were occasional complaints about the app’s tendency to crash at random or lag.

Verdict: Smappee’s app seems to be the favorite.

It’s smart to take a look at how your energy use changes from year to year. Both energy monitoring models come with their own data storage that keeps your data for a long period of time. However, the storage time lengths can vary greatly from device to device.

Once again, Smappee takes the cake here. They keep data for 3 years, versus only a single year from Sense. Though this may seem like a damning issue, the truth is that most people only need a year of storage. It’s unusual to have a need for major timelines showing your usage.

Verdict: Looks like it’s Smappee again, chief.

Let’s say that you bought one model and you’re just not having a good time with it. Maybe it’s not reading anything easily. Or maybe you found out that you’re really not good with the app or interface. It happens, and when it does, its good to know which company seems to stand by its work.

Smappee, surprisingly, fails this.

Sense comes in clutch with a 60-day timeframe for a full refund and return. It also comes with a 12-month warranty, so if you want to keep it and repair things, you can for an entire year. That’s actually pretty solid for almost any appliance, energy monitors included.

Smappee, sadly, does not seem to have that same level of gusto. They only offer a 30-day window for people to try it out and receive a refund. Even then, anecdotes suggest that the customer service tends to try to dissuade others from returning it.

Verdict: Sense is definitely the better pick when it comes to long-term support from the company. If you’re worried about warranties, then you should stick to Sense.

Related Questions

What does an energy monitoring system do for you?

Electricity monitoring systems are there to help you figure out which appliances are eating up the energy usage in your home. It does not, however, automatically turn off items that are making it hard for you to save on bills. That’s something that a smart thermostat or smart plug would be better for.Rather, it lets you know your top energy consumers so that you can figure out if you need to get rid of them, turn them off, or switch them for a more energy-efficient option. So, think of it as a way to reveal the “weaknesses” in making your home better.

How long should an electricity monitoring system last?

Since energy monitors are still relatively new to the market, the jury is still out when it comes to the matter of lifespan. So far, we’ve noticed that most of the top brands have lasted a bare minimum of two to three years. A good rule of thumb is that you can usually expect your monitor to last at least as long as it pays for itself.

How long does it take Sense to start to learn the items in your home?

Anecdotally, people are saying that it can take anywhere from five to 10 days before Sense starts detecting individual markers. This is similar to the timeframe it takes Smappee to start detecting individual stuff. However, it’s important to remember that it will take longer than that to learn all the items currently running in your home. The overall timeframe can take well over three weeks if you have a lot of appliances in your home.

I want to emphasize something before people who own a Sense jump down my throat: both brands are brilliant. I mean that. However, there is a major overarching theme that we’ve been hearing regarding these energy monitors. While they both rock, it seems like Smappee tends to have the best product overall.

Smappee is easier to install, easier to maneuver through apps, and also seems to have better client satisfaction surveys. The one thing that we can say about Sense is that they are a very competitive alternative to Smappee, especially when you consider their attitude towards worksmanship.