Like many others, I am starting to look into energy monitoring. The goal is to better understand household consumption and, ideally, optimize usage to reduce the energy bill.
My main doubt is what to meter. In theory, measuring every circuit (around 12 breakers) would give maximum visibility, but more channels also mean higher cost. My electrical panel is fairly well organized, with dedicated breakers for high-load appliances (induction hob, dishwasher, washing machine, dryer, oven, etc.). Some of these loads could reasonably be grouped under the same CT clamp.
From your experience, what is a sensible compromise between cost and usefulness when deciding which loads to measure?
I have looked at well-known solutions like Emporia Vue 3 and Shelly, but they feel relatively expensive. I also found some cheaper, less-reviewed alternatives, are they still worth the money?
The LOGOELE and IoTorero units appear to use the exact same enclosure. Are these likely the same device rebranded by different sellers?
Below is a photo of my electrical panel (EU / Italy, single-phase 230 V), in case that helps contextualize the setup.
I am comfortable with electrical DIY and have completed several projects around the house; however, with a full-time job and family commitments, I have learned to appreciate the convenience of ready-made solutions or setups requiring less DIY effort. In this case, I would like to optimize costs, but not to the point of soldering my own PCB and ESP module, as I have done in other projects.
Both the Kincony and the IoTorero get bonus points in my book because they run esphome, so the firmware is both open source and customizable.
They’re also both dc powered, which is my preferred rule of thumb when buying from Aliexpress. (No mains line voltage for me). Correction - Kincony is dc powered but the IoTorero might be line powered, the usb could be just for flashing.
And both are sold outside of AliExpress — often cheaper — by somewhat trustworthy brands. You can buy direct from Kinconys online store and the same with IoTorero / Athom Tech.
The Kincony is a little more expensive (here in US at least) because it has a LoRa wireless module which I doubt you need. I can’t vouch for them but I’ve seen several recommendations on this forum for their relay modules. I have personally purchased several Athom products and have had good experience with them so far, would buy again.
Obviously the line coming from the electricity meter. Maybe air conditioner / heatpump.
If you have PV, inverter probably already reports that part.
It might sound exciting idea to monitor everything, but in my opinion it’s pointless to monitor consumption of the stove or oven. I would give more importance for accuracy.
If you have accurate reading of total power and power factor, you can actually detect most of the electric devices from their “fingerprint” on total power. I have no two devices in my house that have same power / power factor.
While I prefer Shelly EM, from your list I would pick Kincony.
Indeed, that’s a thing I was not considering, and it could actually turn out very useful.
Thanks for the feedback!
What makes the IoTorero more appealing to me is the smaller form factor which is always a bonus point IMHO. The KinCony is massive.
No PV and the most hungry device is the induction cooker I suppose.
I agree, at the same time I am puzzled by the electricity billing, ideally I would like to monitor everything for a couple of months to understand where the hell my money goes, but after that I could even return the power metering device.
Can you elaborate more on the subject please? I am googling and AI chatting to better understand the point, but maybe you can direct me faster on how this could be translated into Home Assistant entities/dashboards.
I often see graphs for appliances but they are plotted thanks to direct measurements of smart plugs so there is a 1:1 relation from the measurement and the device. From what you are saying the device power draw needs to be instead computed.
I did take a look at it but it’s pricey and also a closed paltform, I saw it can be re-flashed with ESPHome but at that point I might as well buy IoTorero.
