Sections in the Article
Watts distinguishes between variable consumption and basic consumption, so you know where to look if you want to save energy. There is a coloured dot (green/orange/red) next to “Variable consumption” and “Basic consumption”, so you can easily see what you should focus on.
If there is a red dot, it indicates that there are opportunities to save energy, since your electricity consumption is above the expected consumption, orange indicates that your consumption is slightly above the expected consumption, and green indicates that your consumption is below the expected consumption.
Basic consumption is the term for your home’s lower boundary, also called “always-on” consumption, such as the fridge, freezer, electric heating, heating pumps, water pumps, and appliances with standby consumption. Typically, these will be appliances that turn on at least once an hour.
Basic consumption is calculated by looking at your home’s minimum hourly use for the previous week. When you look at a single day, the basic consumption will be displayed for the chosen day.
Variable consumption is the electricity consumption that is above your basic consumption. When you look at a single day, variable consumption will also be displayed for the chosen day.