• Inflation, rising fuel and energy prices... All means are good to try to reduce its bills, including that of electricity whose rate jumped by 15% on February 1, 2023.
  • With the help of a small connected box, the French company Ecojoko has found a way to accompany us in the hunt for waste and promises to help us reduce our electricity consumption by 18% on average, or 300 euros in savings.
  • Practical and precise, Ecojoko makes it possible to detect the devices in the house on which it is possible to act to achieve this goal.

The hunt for waste is open. The 15% increase in electricity rates on February 1, 2023 kicked off System "D" to consume less and reduce your bill. It is still necessary to know how to act, simply turning off the lights behind you is probably not enough. Available for sale, but also for rent, the Ecojoko connected box wants to bring us a simple, clear and precise solution to help us track down real unnecessary electricity expenses. How? 20 Minutes has tested it for a month and tells you how effective it is.

Making the invisible visible

Search, you won't find! It is impossible when you receive your electricity bill, the price of which continues to rise, to know who are the culprits of the hemorrhage. Electric heaters? No doubt. The freezer? Certainly. But once you have lowered the temperature by one degree and defrosted the freezer, what can you do to consume even less? Turn off the light in the unoccupied room, turn off your Internet box at night and unplug the charger from your smartphone? Yes, but for what real effect?

"Ecojoko started from the idea that we did not know which device consumed what, that uses were invisible and that we use electricity without realizing what we consume," explains Laurent Bernard, co-founder and CEO of Ecojoko to 20 Minutes.

An installation that only takes ten minutes

Composed of a sensor to be placed on its electricity meter, an assistant with LCD screen and an application, Ecojoko will not cut the power for you. It will, however, tell you where it would be wise to do so. It takes no more than ten minutes to implement. The tutorial in the Ecojoko application is of exemplary simplicity.



As far as we were concerned, the most anxiety-provoking was to graft the sensor provided to our electricity meter. Phew, no disassembly to be expected: there was finally only to stick the small appendage connected to its battery on the meter and connect it in Wifi. The trick is well done.

When the meter needle panics

Plugged into the mains and placed on our desk, the assistant and its central LCD screen will play the snitch. Connected to the sensor, it indicates in real time the electrical power consumed, but also the expenses per week to the nearest euro cent. Its two hands – a little vintage – indicate for the one above the conso in real time, for the one below if you consume more or less than usual. Fun to take a look from time to time and see how, for example, putting in all a washing machine (about 1,000 W) freaks the needle. Children can participate in this little domestic audit, it will raise their awareness.

As for the application, it concentrates all the data: graph of consumption hour by hour, possible savings compared to a typical household, like ours, but above all, the analysis of our consumption.

Devices on standby, the sinews of war

It takes twenty-one days for the latter to finally be revealed, the time that Ecojoko "learns" to know us better. And now is the moment of truth. Each item is clearly identified, with the power consumed, but also the amount spent. "Every type of device plugged in, like a washing machine, a refrigerator, an electric car... has a "signature" in the way it consumes electricity. We can thus distinguish twelve items of consumption and expenditure, "decrypts Laurent Bernard.



Smartphone in hand, we discovered that during the week of March 6 to 12, our refrigerator and freezer had consumed 12.9 kWh (3.60 euros); that our major appliances had burned 4.30 kWh (1.20 euro). That cooking had represented a minimal expense of 0.49 euros (1.77 kWh), and that our lighting finally represented only a consumption of 2.28 kWh (0.63 euros).

But bamboo blow with our appliances on standby or always on: 16.7 kWh (4.64 euros) over a single week! That's almost half of our consumption... and our bill (and an expense of about 25 euros/month!). Behind this station, there is everything: our Samsung and Philips TVs on standby, our Orange box, our Sonos speakers always ready to use, the Amazon Echo Show assistant and Alexa that is never dormant, the DeLonghi coffee maker always at attention, the iMac on the desk on H24, the Google Nest surveillance camera is constantly on the lookout ... Don't throw it away!

Know what you're wasting

Where we realize that a room left on is not a drama in itself, but that many equipment could be unplugged (or placed on a socket with switch). Or that the washing machine would be much more economical if it ran at off-peak hours.

"This inventory makes it possible to become aware of the energy we use. Then, the idea is not to live like Amish, but to know what is useful or not, what is waste or not, "analyzes the boss of Ecojoko.

To go further, the manufacturer's application provides some clues and even launches challenges to confront the 20,000 owners of Ecojoko in France. "If each gesture is an effort and a gain, turning off your box at night is ultimately not what is important. It is better to focus on setting your heating, for example," advises Laurent Bernard.

Behaviour change

As far as we are concerned, some measures have been imposed, such as putting our audiovisual equipment on a power strip with switch, turning off the computer in the evening, programming dishwasher and washing machine at off-peak hours, etc. A little less comfort, perhaps, but real savings more!

Sold for 199 euros, Ecojoko supposes a small investment. But by claiming to help us save an average of 18% of energy in two or three months (an expense close to 300 euros per year and per household), it can quickly pay for itself. Especially since its designers also offer it for rent (7.99 euros / month), an offer retained by 50% of users of the small box! This model, more economical for consumers who can in a few weeks perfectly identify the sources of superfluous expenses, is also more virtuous for the manufacturer, which puts back in the circuit the Ecojoko that are returned to it.

  • Tech
  • 20 minutes video
  • Tik Tech
  • Inflation
  • Electricity prices
  • Electricity
  • Energy savings
  • Savings