I have been searching and reading many threads, picking up information along the way. Threads like this one have been awesome in providing some solid information, but I am wondering what would be a good piece of hardware to put my toe in the water in Australia… a simple single circuit for example?
Shelley EM requires wiring, IoTaWatt uses CT clamps and an AC power supply, and multiple other devices like the Rainforest EAGLE for connection to my power meter. I have seen some devices that integrate CT clamps with ESP32 style devices, like this one from Circuit Setup.
So where do I start, just to put my toe in the water? Not a wired solution, and not a power point plug… most likely something using a CT clamp, like the Circuit Setup?
I’m not seeing what the issue is here, or are you saying there are limits on what members can or should post? I’m sure you are not trying to stifle discussion, surely the support of a post is determined by the amount of engagement it creates? Which is most likely how the threads you are referencing got started.
From reading other threads I notice you are enthusiastic about iotawatt, however I’d like to think you might agree not everyone wants an iotawatt because it might not meet their specific requirements. So rather than tacking an unrelated post on one of the previous threads, I presented a question here.
One of the awesome aspects of HA is the multitude of solutions to solving problems, so I’d like to think promoting discussion in all it’s forms is a good thing?
I have both a Rainforest Eagle 200 and Sense energy monitor, both connected to HA. If you have a smart electric meter (and a utility that supports connections) and no solar, then the Rainforest Eagle 200 is a pretty painless way to read exactly what your utility is reading. But if you have solar, like I do, and want realtime data, then the Sense is a much better choice. Both pieces of hardware have useful standalone apps, but the Sense software and analysis capabilities are far more interesting.
Thanks for the info. I have been looking at the Rainforest Eagle 200 myself, so was excited to see you mention it. Can you tell me, was it easy to setup in HA, and does it provide you with meaningful information i.e. valuable data based on the cost of the unit?
I will checkout the Sense unit as we have solar and the Sense sounds interesting. Have you ever considered implementing CT clamps on power circuits?
Sense is a CT based system, but just noticed you are in Australia, so not suitable for you - system is set up for 120V split phase typically used residentially in US, though there are users who have a working Sense tracking 2 phases of a 3 phase commercial install (typical for multi-unit housing in US).
As for the Rainforest 200 integration - HA has an off-the-shelf integration. You fill in the unique ID and access code for your Rainforest 200 (once it is on your LAN/WiFi network and paired with your meter) and the integration sets up HA sensors for the 3 values below, polled from your meter every two minutes. The top value is somewhat instantaneous net power. There other two are cumulative energy, where delivered is from grid, and received is to grid.
Hmm, I would advise Shelly 3EM if your setup is compatible. It is very easy to wire and it is very accurate. Took me 10 minutes to set one up including wiring and configuration all.
FYI - even though it’s probably not for you, I would label Sense as a good turnkey entry level system because it is a really easy CT system to set up and integrate with things like TP-Link energy-sensing smart plugs and Hue lighting.
Thanks for the advice. If I didn’t have to wire I would probably have gone with the Shelley. Unfortunately we are required by law to use an electrician to do the wiring, which is why I have been looking at non-invasive solutions like CT clamps, and remote access via ZigBee.
That looks ideal. I also want to capture the solar feed in, so I may need to investigate a CT clamp option, probably something like the Circuit Setup, or even a CT clamp connected to an ESP32. The Eagle 200 is out of stock at present, so I will need to wait. Looks like the Eagle 200 is also a ZigBee coordinator, which makes things interesting as I am looking at getting into ZigBee. Do you use the ZigBee?
I only use Zigbee to the extent that I pair the Rainforest Eagle with my meter (via a HAN). Not to be contrarian, but most solar inverters also offer data via some kind of either direct WiFi or a bridge option. That could be used as your solar source if it exists. I have a SolarEdge inverter that reports power to Tesl via bridge. I could tap into that if I wanted, but then you get into an issue of sample rates and averaging between data sources. Sense take care of that for me and delivers realtime synchronized solar an total usage data.
Hi Kevin, yes, my solar inverter is a really old ‘SolarMax’ unit, but it has an RJ45 interface that talks Ethernet. There is a quite old ‘app’ and some windows software that are ok but only provide basic functionality.
Interestingly, Domoticz provides an integration with SolarMax, but getting the Domoticz data into HA has proven entertaining. I did request that the makers of HA consider implementing the SolarMax integration, but that didn’t really go anywhere.
So until I upgrade the inverter… I will keep trying to feed data from Domoticz to HA.
