  The smart grid initiative has encouraged utility companies worldwide to
rollout new and smarter versions of energy meters. Before an extensive rollout,
which is both labor-intensive and incurs high capital costs, consumers need to
be incentivized to reap the long-term benefits of smart grid. Off-the-shelf
energy monitors can provide consumers with an insight of such potential
benefits. Since energy monitors are owned by the consumer, the consumer has
greater control over data which significantly reduces privacy and data
confidentiality concerns. We evaluate several existing energy monitors using an
online technical survey and online product literature. For consumers, the use
of different off-the-shelf energy monitors can help demonstrate the potential
gains of smart grid. Our survey indicates a trend towards incorporation of
state-of-the-art capabilities, like appliance level monitoring through load
disaggregation in energy monitors, which can encourage effective consumer
participation. Multiple sensor types and ratings allow some monitors to operate
in various configurations and environments.
