Smart Plug adapters from Power Move - what do you use them for?

I have used them for a number of years. Eve smartplugs and Apple Homekit. Mainly I used for a smart home. But eve energy plugs have power metering. 

Just before 4pm an automation runs to switch of lights, washing machine etc. 

As I mention earlier I used long before power move.

For example when I put the house alarm on switches all the lights off!

There are many variation of Amazon. Some of them call home to China. If you block them from access the internet. They can swamp your lan with with continual time requests

I use one to switch on a lounge light and set it to switch off after 2 hours. Usually manually switch it on if going out.

The other connected to a small drain pump used to stop my garage flooding. Use to have to go out in the rain to switch it on but now can do it from in the house. Also set to switch off after 25 minutes as the pump shouldn't run for more than 30 minutes.

They are more than just basic on/switchs. Have a good WiFi range too.

Hi, I received a couple of the Tapo smart sockets and do actually find them useful turning my TV and hi Fi on and off using the app. Saves a lot of contortion reaching behind furniture to get at the wall sockets. Lots of ideas on the app such as turning lights on when you're out, switching on slow cooker so a hot fresh meal is ready when you get home from work to name just a couple. I can see lots of folks finding a use for these gizmos. All the best.

I got the plugs, but I don’t think it had the effect OVO hoped, they show it only costs 16p per heat pump tumble dryer load so I don’t need to worry about running it.

I have used two smart plugs for ages. 

One powers a 4-gang running PC, monitor, speakers and printer which just means that instead of turning all 4 on and off separately (or having to scrabble about under the desk) all I have to do is say "Alexa, turn the computer on". 

The other one runs the kettle so we don't have to get out of bed until it is boiled! 

The two new ones will be used fur a water feature and set of garden lights. 

I’ve got a set of KASA smart plugs. Some with energy monitoring, most without. 

I use them for the powermove to turn off the fish tank heater 4-7pm and to run other items (chargers) earlier in the day and then have them off by 4pm. Or, when on holiday to run lights.

The energy monitoring is handy to see what uses power when. 

I can’t recommend KASA as I’ve had one plug fail just outside its 24month warranty and they are an absolute pain to set up onto the wifi. (2.4ghz). Once working, and until then fail without warning, they’re good 

Phillips Hue do my lighting for the lounge. I should really back off the lighting a bit to help with power-move. 

Having recently received 2 Tapo plus for signing up to Power Move, I have since bought two more as I’m living them so much. I’m now using them for difficult to access sockets for my TV, fire & a spare for the Xmas tree. I’m also using one for my heated airer that is kept in the spare room so that I can schedule it to come on at 7pm (after the Power Move window) and go off 3 hours later one everything is dry. A top tip is that I have strung a washing line up in the garage so that I can dry washing even when it’s raining, then just finish it off on the heated airer. For towels that have dried in the garage they only need a quick 20 minute blast in the tumble drier.

All these little saves really do add up.

Mine are still sat in the box.

While I can think of things I could use them for (mostly as timers) they are not things that I need doing or that I’d think to buy a smart plug for.

In other word’s I’d be using them needlessly ‘just because I’ve got them for free’.

I’m asking round my friends and acquaintances to see if anyone wants them.

Interesting feedback from everyone. For myself, 

I have used several for a few years; in hard to reach sockets which disconnect ‘out of hours’ to reduce phantom load; in an outbuilding to automate a dehumidifier; in a summerhouse to automate a secondary solar PV capture system when the main batteries are full … 

Oh and an energy measurement unit which I can move around to record true power usage of key or new appliances 

I have some of the relatively early examples of smart plugs from WEMO when this sort of technology was more expensive. I am amazed they are all still going and work with Alexa which wasn't around when I bought them. Although I don't think you can buy mine new in the UK anymore.

We initially got them simply to replace old manual timers for lights to be honest, for holidays, Xmas lights etc.

Like others we also use them for hard to reach sockets. One is used for a bathroom ceiling panel heater for example. The socket is in the loft.

Ours do allow you to see how much electricity we are using for individual appliances which is useful as a one off exercise if nothing else.

For some devices I do flip between leaving them on and regularly simply turning them off. I find some Sonos speakers for example more forgiving than others.

I do wonder how many people could reduce their base load by replacing old energy efficient appliances over time. Appliances are so much better now. It is not always the most expensive fridges that are more efficient so definitely something to watch out for.

I am encouraged by this graph which shows falling demand and falling CO2 emissions for electricity as we move away from fossil fuels. There is some great work reducing energy domestically, with businesses and industry.

If we keep it up, it will help as we transition to electric vehicles, cooking and heating.

Such a good discussion. Is someone up for sharing a picture of their plug so I can add this to the topic as a featured image? 

Here is one of my old smart plugs

Those both look like sockets to me, but then I can’t see the other side 😄. Perhaps we should rename them pluckets, plockets, sugs or sogs even.

I wish OVO had sent me one when I signed up for Power Move - I’d have been much the wiser.

@Firedogand for others interested;

These are what Power Move sent me:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/TP-Link-Tapo-Monitoring-Required-Tapo-P110/dp/B0B831STBX

Tp-link, the manufacturer, calls them “Mini Smart Wi-Fi Socket Energy Monitoring” on the box.

Personally I call them ‘Smart Adaptors’ to cover both the plug and socket aspect.
(But will also use ‘smart plug’ because it’s less to type).

~~~ 🤢 ~~~

[I hoped that might mean ‘green with envy’, but after posting it looks more like ‘I feel bilious’. Is there a guide somewhere to these impenetrable Gainsight emoji?]

😂 I did wonder !!! Try https://www.smartprix.com/bytes/a-guide-to-emojis-types-of-emojis-what-do-they-mean-how-to-use-them/?amp#

Thanks! I discovered that the one I used is indeed intended to convey nausea. Sorry about that! Now I’d like to use one that means ‘embarrassed’ (I often need that!) because I made a fool of myself again, and I still need one to mean ‘envious’ or even ‘jealous’. Pretty common emotions, but no symbol to convey them, apparently. 

I find this useful for embarrassment 🤭 !! I use it quite a lot 🙄

i also wondered what it was at first but did fairly quickly decide you meant envy.

I tend to avoid the emoticons because they are often used to mean things other than what you may at first think, or indeed what they were intended to mean.

(Aubergine or peach anybody?)

🙋🏻

[EDIT]

Belay that - I asked Google 

🤭

I didn’t get one either, but I have been a TCP-Smart girl for years. I’ve got one that controls the powerboard with TV and peripherals, one that allows me to turn on the coffee maker in the morning, one for the electric blanket I turn on an hour before bed, or if I forget, I turn it on when I climb into bed with an hour timer. I’ve got one for the fairy lights. I also have smart bulbs around the house, and I recently bought a smart convection heater.

I have 4 Tapo smart plugs and 1 smart radiator valve.  I have used them all winter. I can't confirm that it saved me much, but I feel better not having stuff on standby.  My sky main box only comes on in an evening for a couple of hours.  Not being very mobile I like the control I have from my mobile phone. The 1 radiator valve is in my bedroom.  This on a timer and again I can control it from my phone even if I am not at home

Hi all.

I probably have too many (so I am told).

Two double smart sockets (BG) in the lounge, TV/Recoder, Amplifier/Blu-ray/storage, Lamp, Spare

As mentioned by others these were initially installed because the sockets were hard to get at, but now they also schedule to come on just after we get up and off just after bed-time.

Another double socket in the Hall with another lamp connected. The lamps turn on at dusk, off at bed-time and then on at 6:30 and then off 30 mins after sunrise.

Forth smart socket in the conservatory (lamp and Christmas tree!).

We used to use timers for a lot of these but you never seem to adjust them as the days shorten/lengthen, and they are a pain come GMT/BST changeover (although the smart sockets aren’t immune to this problem!).

Some smart plugs. One for network storage (on in the morning, off in the evening). One for the cats heated bed (yes!) linked to weather forecast. One for charging batteries (”Alexa turn on charger for one hour”).

Some smart bulbs (less now as we used to forget and turn them off at the switch). I have tried creating a “turn off after 1 hour” routine to prevent lights in bedrooms remaining on, but these often fail to trigger. Smart bulbs seem a better option than dimmable LEDs plus dimmer switch.

Smart motion sensitive floodlight; ability to set range/sensitivity and light level, plus on time/brightness then dim time/brightness. There is the option to cross link detection to other devices in the house.

Generally happy although wireless router is probably near to its device limit. Biggest issue is power interruptions. Everything takes a while to reconnect. The smart bulbs are the main issue. These are programmed to turn on at specific brightness/colour, so until they reconnect the house is all lit up!