Hi friend!
I recently purchased the IoTaWatt in the past few days and so far I am loving the fact that I can monitor individual circuits with certainty in regards to their individual consumption values (e.g. how much the AC uses, how much the water heater uses, etc).
Before I decided on getting the IoTaWatt I was considering getting the Sense or Smappee, but they use proprietary machine learning algorithms that kind of guess at what device is being used at any time, and there is a high level of uncertainty associated with that. Additionally, they are in control of your data for the most part. I like that I can use IoTaWatt’s native reporting as well as forward the data to one of a few other options (I am using influxDB and reporting on it using Grafana).
Before you choose a product, I suggest maybe watching a bunch of youtube videos regarding safety for working in electrical distribution panels, and you might become more comfortable working in there. I highly recommend the IoTaWatt based on my (limited but happy) experience thus far and it would be great if you can enjoy it too!
Keep in mind that if you have a way to turn off the power (e.g. main breaker at the top of the panel, or breaker at the meter location), the distribution panel where you need to install the CTs will be de-energized so you can work there safely. I also highly recommend that if you don’t have one already, get a multi-meter so you can verify the voltage is reading 0 before you work in the panel.
Good luck in your choice!