Power Pal is great when it works , over the past 6 months it keeps unpairing and slow to connect , and if i have to pairing everyday then there is a problem with the app or device and it is not up to me to fix it .
Follow-up · Top follow-up questions readers have asked about your review: What causes unpairing? If i was a technician i would able to answer this How often does it unpair? Every Day How is reconnection? sometimes it won't pair up again
The Powerpal Energy Monitor is an absolutely fantastic product, and excellent value for money. After 10 months of use, it has proved invaluable for tracking live energy usage and downloading data. It helped me accurately size my new solar and battery system, offering similar features to a much pricier Fronius Smart Meter. Installation was simple,… Read more
and the device quickly paid for itself many times over. While Wi-Fi paring to the house modem capability and a replaceable battery would be improvements, I highly recommend it for anyone wanting to monitor their power consumption.
I installed the Powerpal Energy Monitor to track real-time electricity usage (initially with Amber). The hardware is solid, setup was quick, and support responds fast. What’s good Helpful real-time usage data Easy install and pairing Responsive support Main issue (boutique tariffs) I’m now with Glowbird (FOUR4FREE), which includes a $0.00/kWh… Read more
four-hour free period. The Powerpal app won’t save a zero-cost rate (the Save button only works with a non-zero value), and it can’t handle custom time blocks outside standard network TOU schedules. That makes cost tracking inaccurate on plans like FOUR4FREE.
Support confirmed they’re working on “boutique” tariff support, but there’s no timeframe and no workaround. Powerpal seems best suited to Amber’s wholesale-style pricing, where real-time data aligns well. But for retailer-specific tariffs with free periods or unusual time blocks, the app’s tariff flexibility is the weak point.
Battery note The unit is sealed (no user-replaceable batteries). Powerpal says the batteries are designed for ~10 years and includes a 5-year replacement guarantee, after which it’s essentially end-of-life/e-waste.
Overall Great device for real-time usage visibility, but the app needs better tariff support—especially for free periods and non-standard retailer plans.
Reviews with attachments
Installer was ok but did not seem to have a good understanding of the technology. The actual installation was no more complex than sticking a sensor on the meter. The app had trouble connecting and constantly disconnects.. Installer stuck unit outside meterbox and loosely routed cable under metal door where it will eventually pinch and fail. Highly unprofessional installation and a dodgy unreliable product. Show details
Powerpal would recommend – Paul was informative and approachable. Making the set up process easy and quick. Show details
Primitive Design – Had the product for 3 years and now the batteries are flat. Had to break it apart to see that the device is not designed to allow you to replace the ‘AA’ batteries. Battery contacts were welded so not so easy to replace. This can only be viewed as deliberate in order to get repeat orders. Not much thought for the environment here.
Perfect toll for tracking – It's amazing tool to monitor, track and initiate activities to minimise power bills.
Positive reviews
this was very easy quick amd simple ,Arun went above and beyond wity his helpful nature ,even making sure that i had a photo of the numbers to sign in on another device for my records and explain everything . very happy with this service l,everything is working perfectly this great Show details
The guy was fine, very quick instillation but it doesn’t connect from my house which is maybe 25-35m away as townhouse, the guy said the Bluetooth is only 15 meters range where the website says much farther. I’ll play around with it but I really want to see what happens when I turn on specific appliances as that’s really the whole point of it. I’ll give it a go and see what happens Show details
Excellent service, Paul called me up before coming to the property and explained me the whole procedure as to how to sign in on the Powerpal Energy Monitor app and what to expect and what am I actually looking for in terms of cost savings. Show details
Negative reviews
As my meter is down the street this unit doesn't work at my home i found it its bluetooth and not 4g as i was under the impression that this unit went to the fuse box and not the meter box whis is located around 3o meters down the road from my home it works from outside my house but not inside my home so i have ended up setting it up for my… Read more
neighbour who is across from the meter box and he now uses it as it wont work at my home address as stated it would if the meter was at my home it would be fine but as its down the street in an estate well they are useless to me personally
Batteries are not replaceable even though internally it is 2x AA alkaline batteries. They solder the batteries on and it is pretty much garbage once the batteries go dead. Dies within 2 years if exposed to Australian sun. In the long run and environmentally better to go with something more sustainable, it is a shame the government funds this planned obsolescence nonsense. Show details
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Installation was quick but not tidy. The wire was left running directly in front of everything and in the way. I had to tidy it up. The app is very basic and you are forced to choose between basic plans, none of which are applicable for our solar based plan. The app needs to be more flexible, eg allow the correct parameters to be entered in… Read more
Settings, wifi instead of Bluetooth or allow multiple devices access. I guess it is worth what we paid for it!
Recent reviews
For those considering the powepal device, don't be fooled, it's just another energy scam by our ridiculous government. Nothing is for free and the more that are installed, the more that you pay via taxes to our government. If you have power connected to your property then you already have this exact same service available to you via your… Read more
retailers app.
This device DOESN'T SAVE YOU ANY MONEY, it just shows you how much power you use and when you use it, as does your retailers free app.
The Powerpal site claims to have saved people $53,000,000, this is a blatant lie as it doesn't do anything to save you money.
If you want to save on energy costs, use less energy, as that's the only way that you will cut costs.
The only way to save money is to use less power.
NOTHING IS FOR FREE.
You'll pay for it somehow, just like the alleged rebates.
Complete rubbish – This is rubbish. I have had two powerpals which do not read my meter. I have exhaustively gone through many attempts at resetting this device, fiddling, talking to powerpal on the phone and it will not work. Please, do not waste your money. Show details
Solid experience so far – Representative was on time, polite and proficient. They also checked to make sure that everything was working properly before leaving. Show details
Rubbish once it stops working – Works well when the device is working however, the device failed. So when I got a replacement sent out it worked for about a week and failed again. Ended up throwing it in the bin. Will get a proper device installed on the meter box this time. Would not recommend.
Not compatible with an EDMI Atlas Mk7c Smart Meter with Solar ..... Wasted my Money – You Basically have to install it to find out yr meter is incompatible with it ..... It is not compatible with all Meters in Australia ..... Wasted Purchase ...... A pre Purchase Checklist that included Meter Guide would save some frustration ..... Show details
Easy Process – Updated via text right up to installation. Very polite and efficient installation. I was a little nervous in providing personal details for the booking but unwarranted concern on my part
Good info, poor connectivity – It worked well for a couple of years, and we got some good information from it that helped us identify times of our usage and spikes. However, connectivity was always an issue, and recently we have not been able to connect to it for 4 months.
Works ok, but has some inconvenient connection issues – Works most of the time. Did pick up a heater left on a timer in a spare room, so saved the cost of this coming on every night. But: dodgy install, loose wire poked through door hinge (cut risk)and stuck on the outside so could not open the door. Had to relocate the unit. Disconnects all the time. Sends a periodic report that can't access… Read more
the data, as have to reconnect several times by logging in each few days. Connects via Bluetooth, so only works when I am home and phone is in range, it does catch up when it reconnects. Not sure if it includes solar use or just meter use.
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The guy that come to install Powerpal was very professional, friendly and respectful – The guy that come to install Powerpal was very professional, friendly and respectful Show details
Powerpal won’t be helpful – The Powerpal won’t be helpful for us as our meterbox is too far away from the house for the Bluetooth to reach. So I can’t use the app when in my house. Show details
Why Bluetooth instead of wifi?? – Purchased this for my father. Due to the location of the meter at his house, the bluetooth is unable to connect to his iPad when he is at the opposite end of the house, which is where the device spends 99% of the time. I'm not sure why they didn't design this to connect via 2.4ghz wifi instead of Bluetooth. Wifi at this distance would have worked… Read more
perfectly fine, and not only that, it would be able to continue to log data to the internet 24x7 while no phone or iPad is in proximity to the powerpal.
Quick and easy – Arun sent a message indicating when he would arrive, arrived on time, was very professional and explained things clearly. He worked efficiently and answered questions well. Overall i was very happy with the install. Show details
Quick installation of Power Monitor – Mohammed was courteous and efficient in the installation; he was able to answer my questions about using the power monitor App Show details
Powerpal Electricity Monitor – Simple and quick installation of device and Bluetooth connectivity. Usage clearly explained by representative. Working perfectly. Show details
Fantastic, highly recommend – Paul was fantastic, on time, professional and ever helpful explaining the app and some tips to save money. It’s great now we can see our usage. Thanks Paul! Show details
Good BUT – As a portal to view your real time power use, it's great. But there's a point where usefulness crosses over to practicality. #1 it runs on Bluetooth so as soon as you (and your phone) are out of range, it doesn't work. #2 to vet your use, you have to be glued to the screen. To be truly useful, the app should give you an alert when you hit (user… Read more
input) increase level in usage. #3 the battery on mine failed under 1 year. PPal were very good and replaced the unit but it runs on non-rechargeable AA battery so it's going to die at some point #4 the paperwork. You have to input your tariffs (from your paper bill). Then every time prices go up (like every second week) you have to go into the app and update the numbers. So in the end, this is a great thing to make you feel good about making you think you're in charge, but in the end, it's really a bit of entertainment. I don't regret buying it (I'm not in Vic) but it doesn't save me money.
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Supposed to have 5 year warranty, booked to have it replaced and they cancelled appointment.… Read more (+1 reply)