Frequently Asked Questions

Click the questions below to reveal the answers. Be sure to ask us any questions in our live help box, at the bottom right, as well.

Common Questions

• What is Wattvision?
• Wattvision is an end-to-end hardware and software energy monitoring platform. We make a consumer-installed device that gets data from your electricity meter and uploads it to www.wattvision.com, for analysis and display. You can then view live data on the web or your phone. This means you'll never be surprised by your energy bill again, among other things.
• Does the site look good on iPhone, Android, iPad, etc?
• Yes, we have a mobile site for iPhone/iPod and Android, and our regular website looks great on iPad and other HTML5 compatible browsers.
• How much does it cost?
• It costs $249. This gets you a wattvision gateway and sensor for your meter, data storage at 15 second intervals, as well as alerts and other cool features.
• I already have an energy sensor. Can I still use wattvision?
• Yes. If you have a sensor like the TED or a few others, you can use our TED Connector or our API to upload data to our wattvision.com, for browsing, comparison, and display.
• Do I need an electrician to set it up?
• No. Unlike many competing systems, you do not need to open your breaker panel to setup the consumer version of wattvision.
• Does it use batteries?
• No. Our goal is a set-and-forget system that you set up once and never need to touch again.
• Does it come with a display?
• We believe that you have enough screens in your life, and so Wattvision does not come with a standalone display. We intend for you to view your information online or on your phone, but there are some wattvision-compatible displays out there. Contact us for any questions about compatibility.
• Do you work with other meters? Like gas and water?
• Right now we only work with electrical power meters, but we're considering expanding to other utilities in the future. Let us know if you're interested in this!
• Do you make it easy to export data and get data to other services?
• Yes. At any point, you can download CSV files of your data. As a developer, you can also write code to grab live data from our site and integrate it with your home automation system. We even allow other sites to grab this data, if you hand those sites your House ID and API Key, which is available on your House > Settings page.
• Does your hardware support commercial and industrial applications?
• Yes. Our hardware is robust, low-cost, and highly adaptable to different scenarios. Please contact us for details.
• Do you charge a monthly fee for the wattvision.com website?
• The most recent 3 months are always free. You can access historical data older than 3 months, along with additional features, by signing up for one of our paid plans. Businesses interested in services tailored for commercial needs should contact us.
• The power company says my meter signal is encrypted?
• Yes, the two-way serial communication with your digital meter is probably encrypted. But wattvision looks at the infrared test pulse emitted by your meter -- we do not use serial communication. So wattvision will still work if your meter has an infrared test pulse output port.

Sustainability

• Is the hardware made in the USA, and is it packaged in a sustainable way?
• Yes! We are a US company, and so far we've managed to keep all production and manufacturing here in America. We've also tried to make all the packaging of our product 100% recyclable (including water-soluble packing peanuts).
• How much energy does the wattvision sensor use?
• Less than 2 watts. So, a lot less than what you will be saving with our system. To run the wattvision sensor for a whole year, you use 17kwh of power -- or ~ $3.