Price: Varies, and we're still trying to figure that out, however there are now options for Google PowerMeter only, meaning no service tie ins.
I contacted the manufacturer as soon as I heard about the product. We talked on the phone, and the product was described as having many attributes similar to the Powerhouse Dynamics eMonitor: multiple circuit measurement, online data recording, support for Google PowerMeter, net metering, ZigBee, and even the ability to read pulses from water or gas meters, and all at prices comparable to the TED 5000. Wow! We agreed that I would try out the product, and I provided information needed to get me something like what I needed. Then time passed; I made a couple attempts to see what was up. A few months later, I got a call from them, and he asked if I would still like to try it. I agreed, and in a few days, the box arrived.
It took a while to get a manual, and by the time I got time to actually install it, I was feeling like the product was simply not commercially ready. So this isn't a real review of the product, just some observations and comparisons to the monitors I have tested.
It's clear now (in late September 2010) that the company was still getting their act together then, and has made good progress packaging their product bundles in a way that may be the right answer for some who want to monitor their circuits, but don't need, or want to pay for the detailed analysis and sophisticated software features of its main competitor, eMonitor.
For the individual circuits, the ECM-1240 comes solid "donut" CT sensors, not the split sensors that other units needing these have. Installation, therefore requires removing each breaker, unwiring each lead, slip the CT over the lead, replace the, lead and reinstall the breaker. Multiple circuits can be bundled into a single channel, which will make this setup a little more difficult. Is this a big deal? Not really, but fair warning: the ECM-1240 will take some effort to get installed on your electrical panels, and a little more manual reading and so on. If you're technically adept, this one-time setup should be straightforward. The smaller profile of the donut sensors may make work in a tight electrical box easier than units with split-CT sensors.
The monitoring units can accepts inputs from up to 5 120v circuits each, and I think two 240v two-phase circuit. Circuits can be bundled (e.g. lights and receptacles in a room). Multiple configurations are available to handle larger or multi-unit installations, and inputs from solar, generators, wind, and configurations are available for 400a split-panels. Numerous methods are available to connect the unit(s) to the Internet -- wired, wireless, ZigBee, and others. I am working to confirm this, but it appears that the maximum number of circuits is 53 when bundled into a maximum of 28 channels.
The manufacturer says 3-phase installations are possible now, and a special 3-phase package will be available soon (3-phase services are usually found on commercial buildings, or larger multi-unit residential buildings).
The units can be purchased with wired or wireless Internet gateways. An option that's new since I initially looked at the product is called "Plug and Play" -- in this case, the ECM-1240 communicates directly to a server managed by the manufacturer, which then simply forwards the data to Google PowerMeter -- both of which are free -- this solution answers a concern about the required extra expense of the data management service offered by eMonitor, and can make the overall cost somewhat lower than eMonitor.
One interesting feature is the ability to measure natural gas consumption. One of the channels can be hooked up to a device that measures pulses from your gas meter. This feature requires a particular gas meter having a digital output, so please be sure to check with the manufacturer to see if your utility has installed the specific meter needed to make this feature work. One would expect that these kinds of meters will become more common in the future.
The pricing is still a little unclear to me, but I hope to hear back from BrulTech shortly. In general, the fact that the product offers a free service option (pass-through to Google PowerMeter) would suggest that total cost may be somewhat lower than eMonitor, and indeed this may be a good alternative to products like the TED 5000, providing more discrete channel monitoring at what appears to be about the same price.
Like the TED, there are indeed a number of enthusiastic supporters of this product, so if you're ready for what it offers, it may be a choice worth considering.
Add comment