NOTE: The eMonitor4 has been released, making this best-in-class energy monitor even better.
Yesterday we installed the the PowerHouse Dynamics eMonitor, the most recent entrant in the home energy electricity monitoring category for consumers. The eMonitor, in addition to providing whole house data on your electricity use, is unique in that it also measures each circuit. This means you can isolate and see energy data for specific appliances, individual rooms, and anything else that lives on its own circuit.
We've only been seeing the data for 18 hours, so stay tuned for more analysis of the circuit by circuit functionality as our family immerses in this new wealth of energy information. Early indicators are interesting, however. The kids' rooms can now be tracked individually. My daughter, who doesn't like to lose to her brother at anything, got dressed in the dark this morning.
The components are efficiently packaged and well protected. Interior packaging is corrugated. No plastic.
The brains of the product are the eMonitor itself. Black tube provides a convenient way of organizing the wires after installation.
The components are: 1) the eMonitor; 2) two spring loaded 150 amp sensors for the main power that measure the entire usage; 3) 22 split core circuit by circuit sensors (9 50 amp and 13 20 amp); 4) an AC power adaptor; 5) ethernet cable for connecting eMonitor to your router; 6) a very thorough and well written Installation Guide. (In addition to these parts, it also comes with some handy bits and pieces to help with the install--wire ties, screws, a gasket for the electric box and a tube to organize the wires. The only tool required is a screwdriver.)
Two spring loaded sensors are used to measure the whole house electricity (or that going to the particular box if you have a multi-box set up). The spring loaded jaws simply clip around the main incoming power lines, directly over the insulated part of the wire.
The circuit sensors are smaller and clip around the insulated wire or wires to each circuit with a simple clasp system. The base system comes with 22 total sensors.
Here's the complete setup once all the circuits are connected to the device. The wires are then connected with a simple locking snap clip to the corresponding channel on the eMonitor.
Using the pull ties and provided tube, it's easy to organize and condense the wires for a neat, orderly look.
Here's the final install, with cover back on (phew!) and showing the AC adapter and ethernet cable out to the router.
Note on installation:
For those wanting more information about eMonitor, including pricing and availability, please click here.
Comments
My electrical box is outside. Does that mean I couldn't use this because the wires, being exposed, would be vulnerable to damage?
Posted by energycircle on Jan 22, 2010 4:39am@ Mark J: the PowerHouse Dynamics (PhD) team tell me their immediate plan is to provide the equivalent of an API in the form of an XML Export Specification which feeds data from the eMonitor to a home control/automation system in real-time. The system manufacturer – or an installer with adequate knowledge of the system – is then responsible for formatting the eMonitor data for the system display. Savant has done this integration, and PhD is currently working with several additional home control/automation vendors with whom they expect to make announcements in the coming months.
And yes, we all would welcome input from home automation users. If you'd like me to pass on your name, please feel free to email me at ptroast at energycircle.
Peter Troast, EnergyCircle
Posted by Peter Troast on Jan 27, 2010 2:34pm@MikeK. The antenna is zigbee out for future add on devices--display, smart plugs, etc.
PT
Posted by Peter Troast on Feb 3, 2010 12:44pm@Jeff M. The zigbee antenna is for future add on features and functions, such as displays, smart plugs and thermostats. It's an indication of the extensibility of this system and the ambitious roadmap that the Powerhouse Dynamics team has for the product. As to price competitiveness, the eMonitor doesn't really have a peer with respect to the circuit by circuit monitoring capability, unless you consider the more commercially oriented energy management systems that cost substantially more.
Posted by Peter Troast on Feb 25, 2010 12:15amHello prospect,
A: Specific features of the energy monitoring & mgmt services include:
- High quality web user interface with useful graphing and charting, comparison and aggregation
- FREE access to all new Service features automatically as they become available
- Ongoing automated diagnostics of your circuits and appliances performance, safety, energy use and cost
- Actionable recommendations to conserve power/lower costs based on usage by specific appliances/circuits
- User-configured notifications and alerts (via e-mail or text message) related to safety, usage or cost.
- Real-time and historical analytics and reporting on:
- Usage (overall and by circuit/appliance)
- Cost (overall and by circuit/appliance, including phantom/vampire power)
- Carbon footprint and other views of the cost of electrical use.
- Remote control and optimization of:
- Smart outlets (late 2010)
- Smart thermostats (Q3 2010)
- Monitoring of renewable energy sources, including real-time and historical production, usage, and potential problems.
- iPhone/iPad interface (Q1 2011)
- Collection, backup, and storage of data to a secure location
Posted by Lisa on Jul 27, 2010 4:51pm