Dan Fixes Coin-OpsNov 14, 2024

Short thread: Dan installs an energy monitor

I wanna get some solar panels eventually, and I figure Step Zero of that is gonna be figuring out in detail what kind of loads I'm powering and when, so I can then figure out some nuts-and-bolts stuff about a DIY solar system.

I got one by a company called Emporia, it was a couple hundred bucks. Which is a lot, but I kinda expect that like with the wee bluetooth OBDII reader and Torque on my phone, having a visible Shame Number telling me QUIT BURNING SO MUCH COAL DAN will, well, stop me burning so much coal

Show threadDan Fixes Coin-OpsNov 14, 2024

How this thing works is you get a box to stuff inside your electrical panel, and you get a bunch of little clamp-on current transformers that go on all your hot wires.

You also get a BIG pair that are supposed to go over the mains, but my panel's from 1990 and they lay it out better these days, I couldn't fit the main CT's on in any way. The company confirmed that I could omit these and the software would Math It for now.

Show threadDan Fixes Coin-OpsNov 14, 2024
Once you have all your current-sensing clamps installed in the panel, it's time to have a frank, open and nonjudgmental conversation with the people who share your space
Show threadDan Fixes Coin-OpsNov 14, 2024

Once it's settled that you can not in fact "just live like this babe" it's time to trim some wires.

You know those screw-on terminals that are useful when breadboarding electronics? Well this is like that but in a connector.

Show threadDan Fixes Coin-OpsNov 14, 2024
Just cut,
Show threadDan Fixes Coin-OpsNov 14, 2024
Strip,
Show threadDan Fixes Coin-OpsNov 14, 2024

and reinsert.

"The white goes to the right and everyone gets screwed" is easy to remember right now for some reason

Show threadDan Fixes Coin-OpsNov 14, 2024
With half the panel neat and tidy and the other half left absolutely feral, it's time to take a break for a week or two
Show threadDan Fixes Coin-OpsNov 14, 2024
Just kidding, the other half can have a little tidy too, as a treat
Show threadDan Fixes Coin-OpsNov 14, 2024
Reinstall the front of the panel, get the box connected to the wifi, get on the app, and recoil in horror as you come to understand the full extent of your house's wiring shambles.
Show threadBill, organizer of stuffNov 14, 2024
@ifixcoinops I went the other way on ours, and used a Schneider/Wiser energy monitor, which just clamps on the mains, and as you say, maths out the rest. It's actually pretty good, although about 35% of our energy use still falls into "always on" or "other."
Show threadDan Fixes Coin-OpsNov 14, 2024
@wcbdata Is that the one that tries to figure out what appliance is turned on based on its current draw patterns?
Show threadBill, organizer of stuffNov 14, 2024
@ifixcoinops Looks like this
Show threadJustin MasonJan 8
@wcbdata @ifixcoinops how reliable is that classification algorithm? I'm very curious about how well it works (and honestly considering writing my own hacky script)
Show threadBill, organizer of stuff
@jmason @ifixcoinops It was really accurate for the first year or two, but they switched back -ends to share the same system as their commercial solutions, and it seems to have gotten much less reliable since then. Seems to frequently re-identify many appliances. It's still useful by category, though, so I'd still recommend it.
Jan 8 at 3:27pmWeb