Smart outlets are nothing new. In fact, there are tons of them out there that pretty much all function the same way. Look for one that works for any of the virtual assistants you use – mainly Google, Apple, or Alexa, and just find the one that does what you want it to do. I’ve used a couple from WEMO and they’re relatively easy to set up and use. That’s also the case with the new Emporia Energy Monitoring Smart Plugs. What sets these apart from other smart outlets is the ability to monitor energy usage within the app.

The Emporia Energy Monitoring Smart Plugs look like basically any other smart outlet out there. It’s just a little device you plug into your wall outlet and then you plug your lights or any other appliance into it. This acts as a “middle man” that can communicate with your smart home system and allows you to turn on and off these appliances using your favorite virtual assistant. Not only that, you can schedule appliances to turn on and off on their own as well as remotely turn them on and off with the app from anywhere in the world. I mainly use these to control my lights and have them come on and off at night as well as when I’m away on vacation.
Installation of these was a breeze and does require that you create a login for their cloud service. It’s all free though. Because of the energy monitoring, I’ve gone and switched out all my older plugs with the Emporia Energy Monitoring Smart Plugs. I’m also using Google Home as my smart home gateway and it integrates beautifully into it.


Anyways, what I like about these is that they show you exactly how much energy your appliances are consuming when they are turned on and plugged into the Emporia Smart Plugs. It can track each outlet separately and you name each outlet so you know what is what. You can also track power usage in real-time, which is also pretty neat. Most people will probably never check this though or understand what the totals mean, but for those that do, it’s a great way to keep track.
The Emporia Energy Monitoring Smart Plugs can be purchased either individually or as a 4-piece kit. I suggest the kit if you’re going to be controlling more than one appliance.
You can pick up the Emporia Energy Monitoring Smart Plugs here on Amazon as a 4-pack.