I just ran out and removed my centameter CT and wireless unit from meter box.

Lest this seem like a bunch of nannies dumping on OP - think of some totally unrelated fault in your home electrical system causing a fire or major damage to appliances or something.

Insurance company could seize on any electrical work not done and signed off by a qualified person as meeting some fine print and invalidating insurance....

Spyware:

 

I just ran out and removed my centameter CT and wireless unit from meter box.

 

That's a good one. Those were self-install, weren't they? Centameter would ship them to you with instructions.

https://www.stuff.co.nz/the-press/technology/the-box/connected/476961/Review-Centameter-Wireless-Electricity-Monitor

So would those energy monitors that have a light sensor that sits over the flashing LED on the meter also be outlawed?

Kookoo:

 

Trying to use a current transformer to monitor power usage.

 

A CT is not going to give you power usage. You need voltage as well.

Edit... If you have complex loads in your house you need to take into account power factor as well.

Since the OP has a smart meter that most likely cycles the display giving energy used, it would be a simple matter to read the display with a camera and extract the information required to a computer. No need to go inside the meter box.

Gordy7:

Kookoo:

Trying to use a current transformer to monitor power usage.

A CT is not going to give you power usage. You need voltage as well.

This thread reminds me of every license refresher, one question descends into debate on the regs.....good times

Educational for us non electrical people. Reminds me of earlier youth when I removed spark plug lead and was trying to get spark across gap to plug, not what happened but was educational non the less.

Gordy7:

 

Kookoo:

 

Trying to use a current transformer to monitor power usage.

 

 

A CT is not going to give you power usage. You need voltage as well.

 

Edit... If you have complex loads in your house you need to take into account power factor as well.

 

Yeah, that's why I simply use a phototransistor to trigger when the light on the meter pulses so that I get an accurate reading of power used. 

If I was using a clamp on current meter such as the op, I would be putting it on the left wire going into the meter so that I would capture all of the power used. If I did want the voltage, some of the smart plugs can give you the voltage sent via mqqt, but, that would not likely be correct due to different voltage drops depending on where in the circut it is placed.

Gordy7:

 

A CT is not going to give you power usage. You need voltage as well.

 

Edit... If you have complex loads in your house you need to take into account power factor as well.

 

Every house is going to have complex loads, but the typical homeowner doesn't need to know or care about complex power.  

The cheapie power meters with a CT only are fine to see where or Watt your power usage is....they might be a few percent off, and adding voltage sensing will get them more accurate, but the only way to get exact agreement with your power company billing is something similar to posted above, i.e. reading the meter pulses.

dolsen:

 

If I did want the voltage, some of the smart plugs can give you the voltage sent via mqqt, but, that would not likely be correct due to different voltage drops depending on where in the circut it is placed.

 

That's exactly what I was doing

So - what EXACTLY is the difference between Spyware's Centameter and KooKoo's unit?

Kookoo:

 

I guess my point is - electricity isn't magic.

 

They are also among the famous last words. 😉