Real-time in-home Electricity Monitor

rolion

Hello,

Discovered that I'm using around 15Kw electricity per 24h cycle.
Tried to understand how is it possible...
Cannot change lifestyle too much so I began to identify which, what, when takes the watts out of my pocket.

Found this system H E R E.
Technical documentation H E R E
Plenty of documentation, videos and pdf on the site.
Looks like it does what I need and more than that...

What the qualified electricians can say about it, do you see it as working in Ireland, with our grid / cabling / standards and panels, please !?

Thanks in advance



Real-time in-home Electricity Monitor

Our NEW state-of-the-art electricity monitoring system allows you to view real-time electricity usage on your computer, locally or remotely. Now you can perform your own household energy audits, project monthly bills, and reduce and manage your electricity usage. New and improved accessories allow you view data easier with two display options, and include the ability to monitor individual breakers with the new TED Spyder.

Stoner

rolion wrote:

Our NEW state-of-the-art electricity monitoring system allows you to view real-time electricity usage on your computer, locally or remotely. Now you can perform your own household energy audits, project monthly bills, and reduce and manage your electricity usage. New and improved accessories allow you view data easier with two display options, and include the ability to monitor individual breakers with the new TED Spyder.

Am I missing something here? Is this just real time readouts?

Fitting that would be simple. I've a simple energy meter on the lightwave app head unit cost 55 pounds and its 22 per meter the app is free it offers
Cost per hour at the moment
Cost for day so far
Cost for yesterday
All available in KW too

rolion

Thanks Stoner
.
The beauty of the TED, as far as I can see, while im going trough ALL the documentations and support forum is that I can monitor individual circuits/devices/rooms.
IE, i can have:
-one in the kitchen for heavy appliances, per appliance
-another in the attic for water pump
-another in living room
-in bedrooms
-in the small office

That way I can monitor consumption per location, per device, per time and history.
May sound too complicated !??

My question is now, that I found is working on our 220V is how do I connect the "spyder" on the kitchen circuit. Or in the bedroom, or living room where there are multiple devices and outlets/sockets !?
Found "spyder" documentation H E R E ,works fine with 220V !!

Thanks

Stoner

It appears to be a clamp meter per device, it clips around the flex

This would be expensive imo but very detailed.

Calahonda52

rolion wrote: »

....
Found "spyder" documentation H E R E ,works fine with 220V !!

Thanks

I am not a sparks: however as I have fitted a meter with CTs in my own house I read the documentation links somewhat differently

As the 240V requires 2 CT's and 3 phase 3 CT's, perhaps, and only perhaps: the system is 120 V based if it needs two CT's for 240v I didt see 220v anywhere but as I have 3 grandkids, boys, under 10 screaming at their Nana that Grandad is on the computer AGAIN, must go

ps, it seems to be breaker based as opposed to at the appliance level

rolion

Calahonda52 wrote: »

I am not a sparks: however as I have fitted a meter with CTs in my own house I read the documentation links somewhat differently

As the 240V requires 2 CT's and 3 phase 3 CT's, perhaps, and only perhaps: the system is 120 V based if it needs two CT's for 240v I didt see 220v anywhere but as I have 3 grandkids, boys, under 10 screaming at their Nana that Grandad is on the computer AGAIN, must go

ps, it seems to be breaker based as opposed to at the appliance level

Thanks.
Is a 220-240Vompatible.
Question is :what is a breaker or a CT !?

My personal issue is that im shocked that i have 17Kw per day and im trying to identify the souce,the consumption pattern(human-device-time-reason-consumption).That may go off soon but now ,when im in process of getting a big spend in PV soalr panels,i need to know my home electricity consumption at the last watt.

Calahonda52

Well if u are after the last watt the CT's on offer require a min of 60W demand to register.
See
http://www.electronics-tutorials.ws/transformer/current-transformer.html
for what a CT is

More here for serious weapons
http://www.pemuk.com/?gclid=CIfmqfGA0cYCFahf2wodWHAAoQ

they are solid core or split core, split core allows them be wrapped around the phase without shutting down the panel and removing the phase from the circuit breaker aka as MCB

solid core cheaper

The best way to get a handle on usage is paper based and is what I do for all my domestic clients.

You can find input forms on the web, maybe esb.ie
I have an excel spread sheet with a worksheet for each room and I just walk around and note the estimated power combustion for each item in each room
so 10 by 50W GU10 down lighters is 500 W, for 3 hrs a day is 1.5kW
electrical stuff that has standby just needs a second row.
Dishwashers and clothes washers, u can find cycle estimates on line: plainly a 2.4Kw dishwasher will not use 2.4W per hour.

I then use a price per kWh and give usage by room in euros, clients don't understand kWhr but they do understand money

The hidden stuff:
CH circ pumps
standby for the home theatre: can cost 100 euros a year...
etc

rolion

Found another evice H E R E .
Not doing delivery to Ireland,i guess is not compatible with our grid or panels !?

rolion

Thanks for reply.
I will need time to go trough your suggestions.
I'm doing that already to plan my requirements for solar consumption off-grid.
Will that work OK as static.

Calahonda52 wrote: »

Well if u are after the last watt the CT's on offer require a min of 60W demand to register.
See
http://www.electronics-tutorials.ws/transformer/current-transformer.html
for what a CT is

More here for serious weapons
http://www.pemuk.com/?gclid=CIfmqfGA0cYCFahf2wodWHAAoQ

they are solid core or split core, split core allows them be wrapped around the phase without shutting down the panel and removing the phase from the circuit breaker aka as MCB

solid core cheaper

The best way to get a handle on usage is paper based and is what I do for all my domestic clients.

You can find input forms on the web, maybe esb.ie
I have an excel spread sheet with a worksheet for each room and I just walk around and note the estimated power combustion for each item in each room
so 10 by 50W GU10 down lighters is 500 W, for 3 hrs a day is 1.5kW
electrical stuff that has standby just needs a second row.
Dishwashers and clothes washers, u can find cycle estimates on line: plainly a 2.4Kw dishwasher will not use 2.4W per hour.

I then use a price per kWh and give usage by room in euros, clients don't understand kWhr but they do understand money

The hidden stuff:
CH circ pumps
standby for the home theatre: can cost 100 euros a year...
etc

Calahonda52

rolion wrote: »

...
Will that work OK as static.

?

antoinolachtnai

17 kWh is pretty typical really at this time of year. How many adults and children? (2 adults and one or two children would be my guess)

Next thing to do really is to compare your overnight usage to your daytime usage. That will give you some indication of how much is due to stuff like fridges and stuff on standby and how much is 'active' usage.

As suggested, record keeping is important.

gctest50

rolion wrote: »

...............................

...........That may go off soon but now ,when im in process of getting a big spend in PV soalr panels,i need to know my home electricity consumption at the last watt.

you could make one then and then you could add bits onto it, make it anyway that you like it

loads and loads of ways

https://thingspeak.com/channels/public

http://openenergymonitor.org/emon/buildingblocks/how-to-build-an-arduino-energy-monitor







http://openenergymonitor.org/emon/hardware

http://openenergymonitor.org/emon/applications/solarpv