Energy monitoring smartplug for electric dryer ? NEMA 14-50

Energy
1

I’m currently using a gas dryer. I have a TP-Link KP125 smartplug (120V, 15A) on it. This allows me to get notified by HomeAssistant when my clothes are dry( one of the third party “Appliance has finished” blueprints).

Due to an issue with the gas line that’s rather expensive to fix, I’m considering switching from gas to an electric dryer. This should also reduce my bills as I have enough spare solar energy capacity to cover the dryer’s increased electricity usage. The electric receptacle (NEMA 14-50, 240V / 50 amps) is already in place for the dryer.

Is there any smartplug I could plug between the 14-50 receptacle and the electric dryer that would allow me to retain notifications of clothes being dry if I move to an electric dryer, rather than fix the gas line ?

2

50 Amps? Are you drying clothes for a army legion?

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3

If you find something post it here.

If all you need is notifications, look at using a vibration sensor instead.

I couldn’t find a simple US 240v smart plug a while back. Not surprising considering the number of 240v plug variants here.

4

There’s the Aeotec Heavy Duty switch:
https://aeotec.com/products/aeoteo-heavy-duty-switch/

Another option would be a c-clamp style energy monitor, something like this:
https://aeotec.com/products/aeotec-home-energy-meter/
The advantage of this is that it doesn’t require any rewiring.

2 Likes
5

No. This is just the outlet that’s in my house. NEMA 14-50 (240V/50 amps) is a standard dryer outlet nowadays by modern code in the US. The dryer never draws more than 30amps, and only at peak, not continuously.

6

Thanks. I never thought about using a vibration sensor. I will look into it.

I decided to order an LG dryer that has a built-in smart function. Model is DLEX4000W .

It uses Wifi and ThinQ app. There is a HomeAssistant integration for it.

This wasn’t the least expensive dryer of this size I could find, but it was one of the top rated in Consumer Reports for drying performance, which is what I cared about the most.
I ordered it direct from LG as there is no charge for in-home setup (electrical cord, vent) unlike when ordering from a retailer (Home Depot, Best Buy).

I’ll report how well the integration works after I get it setup.

7

Thanks. The Aeotec would work if it had 14-50 outlets , but as it stands, it doesn’t .

The c-clamp style needs space in the panel, and I wouldn’t install it myself. I would use an electrician.

I already have a full-house Smartmeter solution in the form of the Rainforest eagle. That gives me a sensor with total net watts in real-time in HomeAssistant. However, the total net watts is not useful to figure out if an individual appliance has terminated. The total can be negative too at times, since I have solar. It’s reading -8.5 kW right now for example.