Best Home Energy Monitor for PG&E Customers (2026): Emporia Vue, Utility Connect, and What Happened to Sense

The best home energy monitor for most PG&E customers in 2026 is the Emporia Vue 3 with circuit sensors. It shows which circuits draw power during the 4-9 p.m. peak, which is the one thing your PG&E bill can't tell you. If you don't want anything installed in your electrical panel, Emporia's plug-in Utility Connect reads your PG&E SmartMeter wirelessly instead. And if you were planning to buy a Sense, you'll need another option: Sense stopped selling panel monitors.

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Key facts

• PG&E already gives you free interval data. Your online account shows usage by hour, and the Green Button "Download my data" export gives 15-minute electric intervals. Source: PG&E Energy Usage Tools.
• What PG&E can't show you is which appliance used that power. A monitor in your panel can, circuit by circuit.
• Sense no longer sells panel monitors. Sense says that starting December 31, 2025 (and possibly sooner) it will no longer sell home monitors for electrical panels, and is moving its software into utility smart meters. Existing monitors stay supported. Source: Sense support.
• On E-TOU-C, peak is 4-9 p.m. every day. Summer peak is $0.52240/kWh versus $0.39940 off-peak. Winter peak is $0.39757 versus $0.36757 off-peak. Source: PG&E Schedule E-TOU-C, rates effective March 1, 2026.

Why a monitor matters more on time-of-use rates

On a flat tiered rate, a kWh costs the same at 3 p.m. and 6 p.m. On E-TOU-C it doesn't. In summer, every kWh you use between 4 and 9 p.m. costs $0.12300 more than the same kWh at 3 p.m. (bundled rates). In winter, the difference is $0.03000.

Your bill and PG&E's usage charts tell you how much you used in each period. They don't tell you what was running. Was the 6 p.m. spike the AC, the dryer, the pool pump, or an EV that started charging the moment someone got home? A circuit-level monitor answers that, which tells you what's worth moving.

Here's a worked example using made-up numbers, just to show the math. Say a load draws 1.5 kW and runs for two hours during summer peak. That's 3 kWh. Moving it to off-peak saves 3 × $0.12300, or about $0.37, each time. That's small for one day, but it adds up for something that runs daily all summer. A monitor shows you which loads are actually like that in your house. We won't guess a savings figure for you, because it depends entirely on what you find.

Start free: what PG&E already gives you

Before you buy anything, look at your own data. Sign in to your PG&E account, go to "Usage and rates," select "View Usage Details," then "Green Button Download my data." You get 15-minute electric intervals and daily gas data. (PG&E instructions)

Look for three things:

1. The size of your 4-9 p.m. bump. If evening use looks like the rest of the day, shifting won't save much.
2. A high overnight baseline. A floor that never drops much below several hundred watts at 3 a.m. often points to always-on loads like an old fridge, a second freezer, or a pool pump.
3. Sharp spikes at the same time every day. These usually come from a schedule (a pump timer, an EV charger, a water heater) you can change.

One limit: if a community choice aggregator (MCE, EBCE, SJCE, PCE and others) supplies your generation, PG&E says you won't find cost and usage data in your online account. In that case a monitor is more useful still. See Community Choice Aggregation Explained.

Our picks

Best overall: Emporia Vue 3 with 16 circuit sensors

The Emporia Vue 3 Home Energy Monitor (16 sensors) installs in your electrical panel. It comes with two 200A sensors for your mains and sixteen 50A clamp-on sensors for individual circuits, so you can put a sensor on the AC condenser, the water heater, the dryer, the range, and an EV charger at the same time. (Emporia product page)

Why it fits PG&E households:

• Circuit-level data. You see exactly which circuit runs at 6 p.m.
• Time-of-use settings. Emporia says its app can automate energy management around time-of-use rates, peak demand, and excess solar.
• Solar and net metering. It tracks solar production and power sent back to the grid, which helps if you're on NEM. See PG&E Solar Bill Explained.
• Data you can export. Per Emporia's listing, 1-second data is kept for 3 hours, 1-minute data for 7 days, and hourly data indefinitely, and you can export it from the app.

Know the limits. It needs 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi (or Ethernet), so a 5 GHz-only network won't work. It goes inside your panel, and Emporia recommends a professional electrician even though DIY instructions are included. Your panel also needs room for the sensors. Emporia's compatibility guide covers voltage, phase, and space requirements, so check it before you order. If you only care about a few big loads, the same listing offers 8-sensor and monitor-only versions.

Best for: homeowners who want to know exactly where their peak-hour kWh go, especially with central AC, an EV, a pool, or solar.

No panel work: Emporia Vue Utility Connect

The Emporia Vue Utility Connect plugs into a regular outlet and reads your PG&E SmartMeter over Zigbee, a short-range wireless standard. No electrician is needed. PG&E lists it (model EMZGB-1) among the devices validated to connect to its SmartMeter. (PG&E validated devices)

The tradeoff is detail. It reports whole-home usage only, with a new reading roughly every 30 seconds, and no circuit breakdown. Emporia also says it doesn't support features like peak-demand and load management. (Emporia help center)

You have to register it with PG&E through Stream My Data. PG&E's eligibility page lists rates E1, EVA, A1, A6 and A10. Emporia's setup guide says E-TOU-A and E-TOU-B customers (or anyone whose meter isn't listed in the portal) should call PG&E Stream My Data support at 1-877-743-4357 to pair it. Check eligibility in your PG&E account first. (PG&E Stream My Data, Emporia setup guide)

When we checked, Amazon's listing showed it as unavailable, so the link above goes to Emporia's own store (not an affiliate link).

Best for: renters, condo owners, and anyone who wants live whole-home data without opening the panel.

For single appliances: Emporia smart plugs

The Emporia Energy Monitoring Smart Plug (4-pack) measures what one plug-in device uses, and can switch it on a schedule. That's useful for a garage freezer, a dehumidifier, a space heater, or an entertainment center. You can also nest the plugs under a Vue in the app.

Respect the limits: 120V devices only, 10A continuous (15A peak for up to one hour a day), and 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi. Emporia's listing says not to use them on refrigerators, freezers, medical equipment, or routers, since those loads can exceed a smart plug's limits. They can't measure 240V loads like central AC, a dryer, or an electric water heater; you need a panel monitor for those.

Best for: checking a few specific plug-in devices, or adding detail on circuits a Vue doesn't cover.

Already own a Sense?

Keep using it. Sense says support for existing monitors continues as usual, including solar installations. If you were about to buy one, though, you'll be shopping on the resale market for a product the company no longer sells. For a new purchase we'd go with the Emporia Vue instead. (Sense support)

Quick comparison

	Emporia Vue 3 (16 sensors)	Emporia Utility Connect	Emporia Smart Plug
Install	Inside the electrical panel (electrician recommended)	Plug into an outlet near the meter	Plug into any outlet
What it measures	Whole home plus up to 16 circuits	Whole home only	One plug-in device each
Handles 240V loads (AC, dryer, EV)	Yes, per circuit	Only as part of the whole-home total	No
Needs PG&E registration	No	Yes, through Stream My Data	No
Wi-Fi	2.4 GHz or Ethernet	2.4 GHz	2.4 GHz

How to use your monitor on E-TOU-C

1. Watch for one normal week. Don't change anything yet. Note which circuits are high between 4 and 9 p.m.
2. Rank peak loads by kWh, not by how big they look. A 4 kW dryer that runs once a week can matter less than a 500 W pool pump that runs every evening.
3. Move the movable loads. Laundry, dishwashers, pool pumps, and EV charging can usually run outside 4-9 p.m. Set timers so it happens automatically.
4. Handle AC with a schedule. Pre-cooling before 4 p.m. moves AC runtime out of peak. See our smart thermostat guide for E-TOU-C.
5. Hunt the overnight floor. Whatever runs at 3 a.m. runs 24 hours a day. Old fridges and second freezers are common culprits.
6. Check the result on your bill. Compare peak kWh on your PG&E bill before and after. Our guide to reading your PG&E bill shows where to find it.

A monitor can also help if you suspect a meter problem. If your monitor's whole-home kWh and PG&E's numbers disagree by a lot over a full billing period, read Smart Meter Overcharging: How to Check if Your PG&E Meter Is Wrong before you call PG&E.

Is your rate plan the real problem?

A monitor shows when you use power. Whether E-TOU-C, E-TOU-D, EV2-A, or another plan fits that pattern is a separate question. Read PG&E Time-of-Use Rates Explained for the full menu.

Or skip the guesswork. Upload your PG&E bill to My Big Bill for a free audit. It checks your bill against PG&E's published rate plans and shows how much of your usage lands in peak. It won't invent a savings figure your bill doesn't support.

Frequently asked questions

Does PG&E offer a free energy monitor?

PG&E doesn't give you a device, but your online account shows usage by hour, and you can download 15-minute electric interval data with Green Button "Download my data." That's enough to see your 4-9 p.m. peak. It won't show which appliance used the power. Source: PG&E Energy Usage Tools.

Is the Sense energy monitor discontinued?

Sense says that starting December 31, 2025 (and possibly sooner) it no longer sells home monitors for electrical panels. It's building its technology into utility smart meters instead. Existing Sense monitors remain supported. Source: Sense support.

Does the Emporia Vue Utility Connect work with PG&E?

Yes. PG&E lists the Emporia Vue Utility Connect (model EMZGB-1) among the devices validated to connect to its SmartMeter. You register it through PG&E's Stream My Data. Some rate plans have to pair it by phone, so check your eligibility in your PG&E account first.

Do I need an electrician to install an Emporia Vue 3?

Emporia includes DIY instructions but highly recommends a professional electrician, because the sensors clamp onto wires inside your live electrical panel. The Utility Connect and smart plugs need no electrician.

Can an energy monitor lower my PG&E bill?

Not by itself. It shows which loads run during expensive hours, so you can move or replace them. Savings depend on what you find and what you change. Check the peak kWh on your bill before and after to see the real effect.

Will a monitor work if I'm with a CCA like MCE or EBCE?

Yes. A panel monitor measures your home's electricity directly, no matter who supplies your generation. PG&E still bills delivery on your time-of-use schedule, while your generation charges follow the CCA's rate sheet.