EnCalcEU 6.3

Overview

EnCalcEU is a really unique tool that you probably haven’t even thought that something like this might exist. It is a useful program that calculates the cost of electricity and gives you many statistics about how much energy you consume. This way you can predict future electricity bills or see if you consume too much energy and cut down on it. You can also view how much CO2 you generate from electricity use. All these reports are saved to a log file for future reference and comparison with other reports.

Installation

All you have to do in order to install EnCalcEU is extract the ZIP archive you downloaded and run the installer. It will guide you through a series of steps which are very easy to follow. Then the main installation will begin and finish before you know it.

To run this program you must have registered it first. It is free, and you can do it from the product’s homepage. You just need to fill in some basic information and you will receive the registration code by email. Enter it in the program’s registration window and you will be ready to use it.

It works smoothly on Windows 2000 (SP4), Windows XP (SP 1, SP2, SP3), Vista (SP1, SP2) and Windows 7 (SP1). It supports both 32 and 64-bit systems.

Interface

All the statistics are available from the main window. Basically it is split into 3 parts: Meter Readings, Electricity Data and Results. In the first part, Meter Readings, you need to enter information taken on two specific dates. This information includes the dates, Normal Rates and Cheap Rates. Most boxes in Electricity Data are automatically filled, leaving you to make only some changes on settings. The Results part will show you the results after the program has analyzed the input data.

At the bottom are 9 buttons: Help, Archive, About, History, Results, Clear, Calculate, Save and Exit. If you hover the mouse pointer over any of the buttons, a balloon tooltip will appear telling you what the button does. A balloon tooltip will actually appear in any data box as well with information about it.

Pros

After giving the needed values, everything will be automated afterwards. Just click the “Calculate” button and you will be presented with the results. All results are saved in log files and can be looked at in the future. With this feature you can compare reports from different times and come to interesting conclusions.

Currency and date formats are determined by the settings in the Regional Options, therefore can be changed if you wish.

Cons

You need to spend some time on it to understand how it really works and to analyze the results deeply. Of course this is not the program’s fault, but that’s how things are.

Alternatives

There aren’t any alternatives that come close to EnCalcEU.

Conclusion

It really feels good when you know you have saved on electricity since the last electricity bill. You’re doing good both to your pocket and the environment. Grab it and keep it, it is very lightweight and won’t bother you at all, but rather it will only make your life more convenient.