Power Monitoring (the 2019 version)

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E3xtc

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#257384 30-Sep-2019 09:19

So I did a search for this question - and what came back were a bunch of threads of a similar theme but all locked, so am starting this one up again.

I originally got involved and pre-ordered for the Ecoisme device (I think this was about $400USD way back then) as I was wanting something simple to plug in/install and then its just set and forget (ie I dont want to be tweaking and playing with different settings etc).

I am keen to see energy use (incl solar generation), down to specific appliances, be able to see trends etc and help to isolate power hungry devices.

I found the Smappee NZ reseller who were keen to sell me something 1300NZD (excl installation and a limited 5y data licence!!) - which I fell on the floor laughing with because there is no way in the world I am paying that much for something like this.

What is out there and what is recommended? And additionally are there any legal issues with having something like this installed if purchased from overseas?

Thanks in advance for your thoughts.

Cheers

michaelmurfy

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#2327003 30-Sep-2019 09:30

I'm in the progress of building https://savjee.be/2019/07/Home-Energy-Monitor-ESP32-CT-Sensor-Emonlib/ - the idea is I'll integrate this into my Hubitat hub + Grafana.

Not sure if you wanted a DIY solution but this may work.

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chimera

506 posts

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#2327010 30-Sep-2019 09:47

I've tested Smappee quite a bit about 2 years ago. It relies on you telling it what the different appliances are, based on what they draw, so all well and good. However if there are 2 appliances that are very similar, it cannot distinguish between them. As there is no real "fingerprint" per device, other than the wattage it draws, so it can be a bit hit and miss. There maybe newer firmware that helps with this, as I say it was a couple years ago I tested.

Where in NZ are you? I still have the Smappee box and parts, including Solar connector. You are more than welcome to trial it out if you want.

Another you could look at is https://www.powertracker.com.au

Cheers

timmmay

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#2327026 30-Sep-2019 10:17

I recall there are measuring units you can put onto your switchboard, in series with the load. That is fairly accurate, but may require re-wiring.

E3xtc

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#2327027 30-Sep-2019 10:26

I think I prefer the whole thing like smappee/ecoisme where it tries to identify the things. Even with the misgivings I think it will help to paint a sufficient picture of whats happening/when/etc.

Thanks @chimera for the offer, (am in Auckland) but I don't think I can do smapppee what with the cost being around $1500 - its just too much for me to stomach.

Powertracker looks to be a clamp on only specific fuses, so only monitoring specific appliances persay (I think like what @timmmay is referring to), but I want whole house solution and something that adapts (ie as more/different appliances come online it is aware).

Thanks @michaelmurfy although my tinkering ability (time wise and inclination) are somewhat limited, so preferring to go down the path of a prepackaged offering.

dolsen

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#2327097 30-Sep-2019 13:22

michaelmurfy:

I'm in the progress of building https://savjee.be/2019/07/Home-Energy-Monitor-ESP32-CT-Sensor-Emonlib/ - the idea is I'll integrate this into my Hubitat hub + Grafana.

Not sure if you wanted a DIY solution but this may work.

Thanks for that. Am looking at something similar (openhab - count the pulse on the meter) but this looks like a good learning opportunity for AWS.

I'm thinking a hybrid approach - publish to both, but - use the pulse count method rather than the current clamp. Should be more accurate.

Long term goal - automate hour of power to always use the best off peak hour.

timmmay

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#2327099 30-Sep-2019 13:32

dolsen:

Long term goal - automate hour of power to always use the best off peak hour.

If you schedule your heating to come on at the same time every day, and ideally your hot water heating / clothes drier / dishwasher / etc, it will always be at the same time each day and you don't need to bother automating it.

In winter we do 5am, in summer I think we do 9pm to cool the house before bed.

dolsen

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#2327110 30-Sep-2019 13:54

timmmay:

If you schedule your heating to come on at the same time every day, and ideally your hot water heating / clothes drier / dishwasher / etc, it will always be at the same time each day and you don't need to bother automating it.

In winter we do 5am, in summer I think we do 9pm to cool the house before bed.

Weekdays have different needs to weekends for me. I want to automate it all :-)

I've just moved from flick (day/night) to Electric Kiwi and are changing some of my automated things (dryer / dishwasher etc) from NTP - middle of the night to mqtt so that I can kick everything off on a schedule.

In theory - I don't NEED to have this as I will know what hour has the most use, but... why not?

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ashtonaut

614 posts

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#2327275 30-Sep-2019 19:14

michaelmurfy:
I'm in the progress of building https://savjee.be/2019/07/Home-Energy-Monitor-ESP32-CT-Sensor-Emonlib/ - the idea is I'll integrate this into my Hubitat hub + Grafana.

Not sure if you wanted a DIY solution but this may work.

This is awesome - thanks for the comprehensive write-up! I have a mini wifi enabled Arduino board and have been struggling to find a simple and well explained tutorial on building the hardware and software. I’ll have to check this out in more detail when I have the time. Thanks!

chimera

506 posts

Ultimate Geek

#2328672 2-Oct-2019 21:52

dolsen:

michaelmurfy:

I'm in the progress of building https://savjee.be/2019/07/Home-Energy-Monitor-ESP32-CT-Sensor-Emonlib/ - the idea is I'll integrate this into my Hubitat hub + Grafana.

Not sure if you wanted a DIY solution but this may work.

Thanks for that. Am looking at something similar (openhab - count the pulse on the meter) but this looks like a good learning opportunity for AWS.

If you want Arduino code for the counting the light pulses (1 per 1Wh from memory) on the meter and sending to OpenHAB, let me know. I wrote code for this, but also have it so that OpenHAB rules confirm back to the ESP8266 (I use a Wemos D1 mini) what count it's received. That way, if OH is down, the Wemos will continue accumulating a count of pulses (aka kW) until it gets it's confirmation of the count received. I have it graphing (just use rrj4j but plan to use Grafana at some stage) I've compared to Genesis energy reports online, and it's spot on.

phrozenpenguin

841 posts

Ultimate Geek

#2328674 2-Oct-2019 22:03

I've got a CurrentCost Envi (http://currentcost.com/product-envi.html) which was cheap and easy.

CT clamp on main feed and numerous plug sockets which I can move as required. Has a live LCD readout and I also record to influxdb database and use Grafana to plot.