BFH-PV LAB tests the wattmeters

The improvement of energy efficiency is one of the key measures that the confederation put in place toward the achievement of the Swiss Energy Strategy 2050. While the improvement of the house isolutation is the leading technical solution to this aim, the change of consumers behaviour for avoiding the energy wasting can play a key role too. This behavioural change requires first the awareness raising of the consumers on how much energy each device consumes and where there are the highest potential for savings. This has created a need that is covered the new and constantly increasing marker of wattmeters.

A wattmeter is a device that is connected between the power plug on the wall and the cable of an electronic device and measures the power consumption. The accuracy of these devices varies though from the one brand to the other. This can eventually mislead the consumers or even increase the households' consumption. 

On behalf of the Fédération Romande des Consommateurs (FRC), the BFH-PV LAB has tested and evaluated household watt meters based on three main criteria, the user-friendliness; own consumption; and precision. Based on the results of this analysis, it is evident that the price does not reflect the quality. The results were included in the product evaluation, published in Magazine No 108.