High Bill Starter Kit: Start With Measurement Before Major Spending
The most common high-bill mistake: spending on a solution before understanding the problem. Solar, batteries and plan switches are all legitimate answers — but to which question? Before committing $10,000 to rooftop solar or switching to a complicated time-of-use plan, a $20–$150 measurement kit tells you where your power actually goes.
- A smart plug ($20–$24) shows what individual appliances cost to run. Start with the most suspicious one.
- A smart power board ($69–$90) monitors and schedules a group of standby devices at once.
- Identifying and eliminating one 200W always-on device can reduce your bill meaningfully — no solar, no tariff change required.
- Measurement comes before major spending. You cannot make a good decision about solar or battery size without knowing your current usage pattern.
Step 1: Find the hidden loads ($20–$24)
Most households have one or two appliances drawing significant power around the clock that the occupants have forgotten about. Second fridge in the garage. Old plasma TV in the spare room. Gaming console in "rest mode." Pool pump running during peak hours.
Start with one smart plug. Plug it into your most suspicious appliance and leave it for a week. The app shows daily and weekly running cost in dollars at your current tariff.
Tapo P110M — $24.00, 4.8 ★ (287 ratings). Top pick for single-appliance monitoring. Real-time wattage, estimated monthly running cost, scheduling, voice control. Start here.
Step 2: Audit the standby cluster ($69–$90)
Once you've identified the obvious single-appliance problems, the next hidden cost is standby power across a group of devices — entertainment unit, home office desk, gaming setup.
meross smart plug 4-pack — $69.99, 4.6 ★ (353 ratings). Monitor four appliances simultaneously. Identify which devices are drawing power when "off" and set schedules to eliminate overnight standby.
Step 3: Schedule controllable loads
If you are on a time-of-use tariff with cheaper off-peak rates (typically overnight or early morning), shifting controllable loads to those periods reduces cost without reducing consumption.
Controllable loads that are easy to schedule:
- Dishwasher — run after 10pm on a timer
- Clothes dryer — same
- Pool pump — schedule for off-peak window
- Dehumidifier — schedule for cheap hours
- EV charging — if using a portable EVSE, shift to overnight off-peak
A smart plug or smart power board handles the scheduling automatically once set. You set it once; it runs daily without further action.
What this kit does not cover
Measurement tools tell you where power goes. They do not:
- Reduce a high supply charge (fixed daily cost on your bill — no product addresses this; it requires a plan comparison)
- Replace a high-cost appliance (a smart plug reveals the cost; replacing an old fridge still requires the purchase decision)
- Deliver the same impact as rooftop solar (no measurement product generates power)
If measurement reveals your bill is driven by hot water, heating or cooling loads — high-wattage appliances running for hours — measurement alone won't reduce those bills. That's when solar, heat pumps and tariff optimisation become the next conversation.
- Households with a high bill but no clear idea of which appliances are responsible
- Renters who cannot install solar or fixed equipment — smart plugs require no installation
- Anyone who suspects a second fridge, gaming setup or always-on device is a significant contributor
- Pre-solar households who want to understand their usage pattern before sizing a system
- Anyone whose bill is driven entirely by heating/cooling (the measurement is useful but the solution is replacing the appliance or improving insulation, not a smart plug)
- Anyone already tracking usage via their retailer's app or smart meter data — the data may already be available without additional hardware
Spend $24 on one smart plug before any larger energy decision. Point it at your most suspicious appliance. If the number surprises you, you've found where to focus. If it doesn't, you've ruled out one suspect for $24.
Browse our Smart Home picks for energy monitors, smart plugs and smart power boards.