Energy monitor experience

[MMM98]

I have a vacation rental that I extensively automated so I can change the lock code between tenants, shut off the water heater and change the temp when vacant.  It was a natural extension to get a home energy monitor so I can make intelligent decisions on what purchases/improvements make economic sense.  The Sense energy monitor can identify individual devices down to the 5 watt level but more importantly it monetizes all devices.  So I know the toaster is an energy hog but it cost little to operate (it is not on long enough).  It really focuses you on what matters, energy wise.   

It has two clamps that go over the mains in the breaker box.  An easy ten minute install for those that do a little DIY.  The non-solar version is 299, solar is 349.00

With it I was able to identify a leak in my AC ducts, which run in the attic,  because the attic fan (which is over a duct junction box) shut off while the AC was running.  During Hurricane Irma I was able to determine the tenants were safe as they had started going about their regular day as they were making coffee and I presume making breakfast.  I was concerned as I hadn't heard from them.

I am starting to see a trend that responsible I guests are also conservative energy users and energy usage appears to be a great predictor if I will find damage in the property.   About 60% of by guests want to visit again and this way I have an early measure if I want to re-rent to them again.  I realize that this is big brother-ish but I do not ask guests to change their habits or trouble them.  Yes I expect some protest posts about this.  I wonder how my energy consumption has been used about me in other settings?  This type of monitor gives you more detail than is available from a smart meter installed by the utility.

For the homeowner, this data can certainly focus you on finding the energy hogs and help you determine if changing your habits is worth the savings.  One of the other brand of monitors advertise that you can save 30% with the behavioral changes you can make from the energy monitor data

[bacchi]

How does it identify appliances? Do you teach it? I.e., turn on the toaster and then tell the app that the toaster is on?

Can you correct it? A toaster can draw as much as a small space heater, for example.

[MMM98]

You don't teach it, it learns by taking millions of samples.  A resistance load, a toaster for example, draws power at different rates depending on how hot the element is.  It is quite different than other heat loads, like a oven or hair dryer.

A motor with a capacitor start is also unique.  Your dishwasher pump is very different than a spa or well pump.  It does take time to identify loads as it needs to see the usage in the 'wild'.  After 30 days it has identified 20 items, some are components of other items.  The defrost that is part of the icemaker is identified separately from the fridge itself.  It can pick up the fridge light and send you an alert that the fridge has been open for 5 minutes, for example. 

Sense does have a if this than that function.  It has some use like turning on house lights when the garage door opens.  Granted there are other ways to do this with automation but this saves me the expense of installing extra sensors.

Example, it would be useful to know if the well pump ran too long (indicating a leak).  It could be used to see if your children were playing games when they returned from school or if the housecleaner really vacuumed your home.

[NorCal]

Thanks for posting I've been looking at several similar devices and hadn't seen Sense yet.

My biggest concern about these systems is they typically rely on a cloud service.  If the company goes kaput, the device becomes useless.

[fattest_foot]

Found this post pretty fascinating, to be honest.

That you've been able to find a correlation between energy usage and unit damage, and can use that to determine whether you want to re-rent is bad ass.

[bacchi]

My biggest concern about these systems is they typically rely on a cloud service.  If the company goes kaput, the device becomes useless.

Yeah, I feel the same. I'd like to get a thermostat for a minisplit but the fancy thermostats have limited (or no) functionality if the internet or servers are down. Since I turn off my router often, it'd be useless much of the time.

[MMM98]

It is certainly possible that the firm will dissolve and my data is wiped out although their forum posts claim that they have made provisions for that.  A subscription service I imagine.  That said your average user will have gleaned whatever conservation tips from the monitor by then.  How many incandescent bulbs do you have that you forgot to change out to LED, for example. 

I think it will be useful for a year or two for conservation purposes.  This is true for all of the monitors.  Nuerio makes something similar although its fidelity to identify individual appliances is only down to the 300 watt level.  T.E.D the energy detective, does not use a cloud based service and may be an option.  It identifies usage by individual breaker level, it may have some applications.  And of course there are whole house monitors which measure the total kilowatts used just like your meter, they are quite inexpensive.