To get a better grip on your energy costs, it's vital to track your electricity consumption effectively. Today, there are many ingenious, easy-to-implement solutions that allow you to do this with or without a smart meter.

All your appliances are off, but your consumption is still high? Knowing your consumption in real time can help you identify the devices on stand-by that are wasting energy unnecessarily. No more nasty surprises on your invoice!

Are you cooking, charging your electric vehicle and running the air conditioning at the same time? By tracking your daily consumption, you can assess the impact of your various devices on your consumption.

You've just installed solar panels and you're wondering how much you'll actually be injecting at noon on a sunny day? Energy tracking dashboards can answer this question. Easy to set up thanks to the smart meter's P1 port, they provide a detailed view of your consumption and injection throughout the year.

How can I track my electricity consumption in real time?

Via your smart meter's P1 port

The smart meter is equipped with a customer port, the P1 port, which allows you to connect your own energy management systems, or CEMS (Customer Energy Management System).

Energy management systems enable you to track your consumption in real time, as well as your consumption history. In some cases, they can also be used to track your injections, or to automate when certain appliances are switched on.

In practical terms, these are accessories or devices that can be connected to the smart meter's P1 port, usually coupled with an app or online portal.

With or without a monthly subscription

Some manufacturers offer specific features that may be of interest in your situation. Bear in mind, however, that these systems sometimes require a monthly subscription fee.

If you want to keep track of your consumption for a lower cost, choose open source systems that don't require a monthly subscription.

Other methods for tracking your consumption

Instead of the P1 port, some systems use a sensor that is fitted over the smart meter's LED consumption indicator.

On a conventional electromechanical meter, sensors can be fitted above the rotating disc. There are also similar solutions for tracking your gas or even water consumption.

Direct reading on the smart meter display

Do you just want to track your electricity consumption at a specific point in time, on a one-off basis, without a device or app? You can do this if you have a smart meter.

Thanks to the various display codes on the smart meter's screen, you can access detailed information on your consumption. The code 1.7.0 indicates your consumption at that precise moment. If you're injecting energy, codes 2.7.0 and 2.8.0 allow you to track the energy injected in real time as well as the total injected.

How can I automatically track my electricity consumption day by day?

Via your network operator's app

If you have a smart meter, you can also use your network operator's portal or app to find out the current status of your electricity consumption. In Brussels, the My Sibelga app will soon allow you to:

• track your consumption for free;
• view your consumption in the form of graphs by month, day and quarter of an hour;
• find out about any injections you make;
• compare your actual consumption with your expected consumption.

Via your energy supplier's app

Often, energy suppliers allow you to connect the smart meter to their own app. The disadvantage of this is that if you change supplier, you'll also have to change apps.

How can I manually track my electricity consumption day by day?

With a conventional electromechanical meter

For a single-hourly rate, the solution is simple: read the index on the dial today, then read it again tomorrow. The difference between the two readings will give you your daily consumption.

If you have a dual-hourly rate, proceed in the same way for each dial, the one with a small sun for daytime hours, and the one with a moon for night-time hours. This will give you a breakdown of your consumption by time slot.

Find out more about reading an electromechanical electricity meter

With a smart meter

Smart meters make this task even easier. For a single-hourly rate, simply use display code 1.8.0 to read your consumption today, and then again tomorrow. The difference between the two readings will give you your consumption for the day.

For dual-hourly rates, use display codes 1.8.1 and 1.8.2 to find out your daytime and night-time consumption respectively.

Via the EnergyID online portal

The social cooperative EnergyID enables you to consolidate your electricity consumption as well as your consumption of any other energy into a single tool. You can manually enter your monthly meter readings or even connect your smart meter directly.