Keep an eye on your electricity consumption: How the stromleser reading head helps in everyday life

Do you know that feeling? The electricity bill is in the mailbox and you wonder:

"Where does this high consumption actually come from?"

This is precisely where the stromleser comes in. More and more households in Germany are using the electricity meter to transparently track their energy consumption and specifically reduce electricity costs. It allows you to conveniently monitor your electricity meter readings via app or Home Assistant – in real time and without any complicated technology. This gives you a better understanding of when and how much electricity your household consumes.

To avoid sounding too technical, let's take a look at how the electricity meter is used in everyday life – you might even recognize yourself in one of the stories.

But first: 

What is the stromleser?

 The stromleser is a smart reading device that makes your digital electricity meter or modern measuring device smart in just a few minutes – without an electrician. Depending on the meter type, the electricity reader can be easily installed in the meter cabinet – without interfering with the electrical grid and ready for use in just a few minutes . This allows you to read your electricity meter, automatically record consumption data, and conveniently view it in the stromleser app.

The data is displayed in real time in the stromleser app. This way you always have an overview of your electricity consumption, can identify trends, find energy guzzlers and conveniently read your meter readings digitally.

If you want to know how to display your electricity consumption in the app, you can find out more here .

Advantages of stromleser at a glance:

Especially practical:

• Easy installation without interfering with the electrical grid
• Compatible with digital electricity meters (modern metering devices & intelligent metering systems)
  • You can find a detailed overview of compatibility in our compatibility list for stromleser.one and stromleser.tasmota. This way you can ensure that your meter is supported.
    • Compatibility list stromleser.one
    • Compatibility list for stromleser.tasmota
• Electricity meter app with overview of consumption, history and costs
• Smart home integration

Two versions for different needs:

stromleser.one:
The quick plug-and-play reading head – simply attach it, download the app, select your meter, and you're ready to go! Installation is super fast and even beginners will have no problem. Your energy monitoring is ready to go in just a few minutes – no technical knowledge required. The stromleser app clearly displays your electricity consumption in real time, your consumption history, costs, and easy-to-understand graphs. Ideal for anyone who wants to measure their electricity consumption, identify energy guzzlers, and keep a constant eye on their energy costs. The stromleser.one can also be integrated with Home Assistant – for those who want to delve even deeper into their energy management.

stromleser.tasmota:
The flexible option for tech enthusiasts – perfect for individually reading your digital electricity meter, analyzing detailed consumption data, and integrating the meter directly into your smart home system (e.g., Home Assistant). This version gives you full control over your real-time data and is the budget-friendly choice for those who want to create their own reports and visualizations in Home Assistant. Ideal for DIYers and smart home enthusiasts who value maximum freedom.

Everyday application examples

The Müller family wants to monitor their balcony power plant

Last year, the Müller family purchased a balcony power plant – a small solar panel mounted directly on their balcony. Their motivation: to become more independent from rising electricity prices and simultaneously contribute to the energy transition. The system, made by MOE , reliably produces electricity as soon as the sun shines.

But after the first few months, a crucial question arose: "How much of our self-generated solar power do we actually use in everyday life – and how much do we feed unused into the grid? "

This is exactly where the stromleser comes in. With it, the Müllers can measure their electricity consumption in real time and simultaneously track how much solar power is used in the household.

The app shows them immediately:

• If the washing machine or dishwasher is running at midday when the sun is shining, the consumption is almost completely covered by the balcony module.
• In the evenings, however, when television, stove and lighting are used, solar production is insufficient – then electricity flows from the grid again.

This transparency significantly changes the family's daily life. Instead of randomly switching on appliances, the Müllers now think more consciously: "Let's run the washing machine at midday when the sun is shining on the balcony – then we're using our own electricity."

This way, they learn to optimize their own energy consumption. The result: They not only save money on their electricity bill, but also develop a good sense of their personal contribution to the energy transition.

For the Müllers, the stromleser is no longer just a practical tool, but a small everyday companion that helps them to use their energy really efficiently.

Tom working from home: Finding energy guzzlers

Tom works as a graphic designer from his home office. His workspace is modernly equipped: a powerful PC, two monitors, a printer, and a router are all running throughout the day. For Tom, it was always clear:
"That's definitely the reason why my electricity bill is so high."

But when he plugged in the stromleser and monitored his electricity consumption in real time for the first time, he got a big surprise: his workstation wasn't the culprit at all. The measurements showed that his PC and monitors together consumed significantly less energy than Tom had suspected.

To find the actual energy hog, Tom proceeded systematically:
Using a smart plug, he checked each appliance in the household one after the other – from the coffee machine to the refrigerator. He combined the consumption data in Home Assistant with the readings from the electricity meter, allowing him to analyze precisely which appliances consumed the most energy in everyday use.

The real energy hog in the household was a surprise: not the PC in the home office, but the old refrigerator. Thanks to the energy meter and the additional measurement via the smart plug, Tom was able to clearly identify the high electricity consumption – and save over €120 a year with a new appliance.

To gain clarity, Tom compared the figures more closely:

Tom's savings in comparison

Device	Annual consumption	Cost per year (€0.35/kWh)
Old refrigerator	500 kWh	175 €
New refrigerator	150 kWh	€52.50
Savings	350 kWh	€122.50

For Tom, this was a real eye-opener: A single appliance change saves him over 120 euros every year – without any loss of comfort. In the long run, the new refrigerator pays for itself and also reduces his environmental footprint.

Without the stromleser, Tom would never have gained this insight. Instead of continuing to guess, he was able to make informed decisions thanks to the app and permanently reduce his energy costs.

Mr. and Mrs. Schneider: Reading the meter digitally

For Mr. and Mrs. Schneider, reading their electricity meter was a bit of a challenge every year: They'd go down to the dark basement with a flashlight, decipher the tiny numbers on the display, and then painstakingly transfer them to the form. There was always the worry of confusing a digit or accidentally entering an extra zero. A single typo could result in the annual bill showing completely incorrect figures – and in the worst-case scenario, lead to hefty additional payments or unnecessary inquiries from the grid operator.

With the stromleser, this risk is a thing of the past.

• The app displays the current meter reading digitally and accurately at all times.
• Transposed digits or transmission errors are excluded.
• The value can be directly transferred and transmitted to the network operator.

For the Schneiders, this means not only more comfort, but above all absolute security and reliability in their electricity bill.

Lisa, the tech enthusiast: App & Smart Home

Lisa loves technology. Almost everything in her home is networked: from the lights to the blinds to the heating, she controls everything conveniently via her smartphone. The connection between the electricity meter and the app is easily established via Wi-Fi , allowing her to view her energy consumption directly on her smartphone or via Home Assistant. For her, it was immediately clear: the stromleser.one also belongs in her smart home – alternatively, the stromleser.tasmota is also an option.

Integrating with Home Assistant opens up entirely new possibilities. When her solar system produces more electricity than is currently being consumed, she automatically starts charging her electric car – here she uses the wallbox from daheimladen . On particularly sunny days, she deliberately runs her heat pump at a higher speed to use excess solar energy directly for hot water. And as soon as a device runs longer than planned or consumes more energy than usual, she receives a notification – all automated via Home Assistant.

In addition, Lisa keeps a constant eye on her electricity consumption using the stromleser app. With stromleser.one, she can see real-time values, consumption history, and clear graphs – perfect for identifying trends and better understanding her energy consumption.

For Lisa, this is the ideal combination: a simple overview in the app and limitless possibilities in the smart home.

You can find out how to integrate stromleser.one into Home Assistant in our blog tutorial .

Conclusion: Measuring electricity consumption has never been easier

The stromleser makes it incredibly easy for everyone to understand and optimize their own electricity consumption – whether you simply want more transparency in everyday life, want to reduce energy costs or want to make optimal use of your balcony power plant.

• The stromleser shows you in real time how your electricity consumption is developing – clearly, understandably and available at any time.
• The electricity meter helps you to track down energy guzzlers and take targeted measures to save costs.
• The stromleser makes reading your meter digitally easier than ever – without complicated technology or manual note-taking.
• The stromleser perfectly complements smart energy solutions such as balcony power plants or smart home systems.

With the stromleser, you gain more control over your energy data and create the foundation for more sustainable and conscious energy management. Thanks to the user-friendly app, you can immediately see which devices are consuming the most energy and adjust your daily routine accordingly – for greater efficiency and lower electricity costs.

And the best part: The stromleser is incredibly easy to use – quick to install and ready to go. For those seeking more advanced features, the Tasmota version offers even deeper analysis and seamless integration into an existing smart home setup. Thanks to the free energy meter app, you can instantly identify which devices are consuming the most energy and adjust your daily routine accordingly – for greater efficiency and lower electricity bills.

Discover our range of stromleser products now and find the option that best suits your home.
The stromleser is more than a technical aid – it is your smart partner for transparency, control and sustainability in the household.

FAQ – stromleser

1. How can I read my digital electricity meter using the stromleser?
   The stromleser reader is simply attached in front of the digital electricity meter or smart meter and is immediately ready for use – no electrician required. Using the electricity meter reader app, you can measure your electricity consumption in real time, read meter readings digitally, and access your data at any time.
2. Which electricity meters is the stromleser compatible with?
   The stromleser reader works with digital electricity meters (modern metering devices) and smart metering systems. It is not suitable for analog Ferraris meters.
3. Does the stromleser also help with balcony power plants?
   Yes, especially! With the stromleser, you can monitor how much solar power your balcony power plant is generating and how high your self-consumption is. This way, you can see exactly when it's worthwhile to switch on appliances like the washing machine or dishwasher to make optimal use of the self-generated electricity.
4. Can I integrate the electricity meter into my smart home?
   Yes. With the stromleser.tasmota variant, the device can be integrated into Home Assistant and other smart home systems. This allows you to control automated processes, such as charging an electric car with surplus electricity or intelligently controlling a heat pump.