Origin’s Victorian customers will receive access to a new in-home energy monitor that displays near real-time information about their energy use within seconds.

Origin has announced the release of the Origin Energy Monitor that is approximately the size of a smart phone, sits magnetically on a customer’s fridge and receives data wirelessly from their smart meter.

Origin Energy markets chief executive officer, Frank Calabria says, “We know that households are craving more information about their energy use to help them control their usage and costs. But customers are also extremely busy, and want this information delivered instantly and conveniently. The Origin Energy Monitor addresses this need by displaying this energy information on one of the most used appliances in the household.”

The monitor allows customers to easily view both their usage and the cost of what they are using within seconds. The unit will work straight out of the box with no need for an electrician to install or the customer to manually enter any data.

“The Origin Energy Monitor is the perfect complement to the Origin Smart online portal which, when it launched last year, provided Victorian customers with detailed usage and cost information plus future bill estimates for the first time,” Frank says.

A recent survey of Origin Smart online portal users revealed that customers were looking for more timely information to help them track household energy use, and make real time decisions. While the Origin Smart online portal gives users in-depth analysis of their usage including bill estimates, the Energy Monitor works more like a clock, where a quick glance provides immediate updates on their current usage and cost to help inform their energy choices.

Origin has been trialling the Origin Energy Monitor with select customers in Victoria over the past few months, and received positive feedback.

Robelene Cruickshank from Box Hill North says, “We’ve been using the Origin Energy Monitor for the past month and the insights have really helped our household understand our energy usage. With the monitor sitting on our fridge, taking a quick look at the day’s consumption has become part of our daily routine.

“We were previously using the Origin Smart online portal, with the detailed graphs and billing information which we found very useful, though we’ve found the Energy Monitor to be even more convenient, with no internet or PC required.”

The Origin Energy Monitor will be available free and exclusive to eligible Victorian customers who sign up to and remain on the Origin Smart Daily Saver Energy Plan.

This product is available now to all eligible Victorian customers except those within the SP Ausnet region. In line with the ongoing roll out of smart meters across Victoria, it is expected that these customers will become eligible to receive the product over the coming months.