I agree, that the GEM has a lot of potential and power to assist the end user in determining their power use and waste. I have been able in a very short time locate and identify a few things that have caused my power use to go up.topherhansen wrote:My experience has been much better. I'm slowly writing my experience down. Teken and I are among the early adopters and are helping to make their documentation and software better via our feedback.
I would still recommend buying one. I've already shaved off a few hundred watts from my baseline useage in only the last two-three days of analysis on my house. I also felt a lot less bad about using my AC when I realized how cheap it is.. the dryer on the other hand is more expensive than I thought.
It has also helped me in isolating a few circuits along with implementing *Just in time use*. Case in point my microwave draws 4 watts at all time. I installed a Insteon Appliance Linc to cut that power use down to 1 watt.
It was also determined that my Garage Door Opener (GDO) remote light was staying on all night.
The root cause was the Liftmasters motion sensing keypad. I turned off this feature and now the 34 watts is no longer a drain or issue.Several items which I would never have thought to draw any sort of power was a Logictech speaker system?
This item was drawing down 5-8 watts sitting there doing nothing besides looking pretty.Some things have simply changed how we use things, along with when we use them. Case in point I was not aware that turning on the central ventilation to exhaust the bathroom air was turning on both the furnace & exhaust motor?
The exhaust motor draws aprox 80 watts, the furnace draws over 450+ watts!
So, way back in time I had already put the central exhaust on a timer to limit its use to 10 minutes. I have since installed a few moisture sensors along with a few lines of code to determine how long the fan should run based on the humidity etc.So the fan can run up to a max of 10 minutes, or be turned off prior if the conditions are met.
One of the best things I loved about having the GEM is the ability to map out my entire houses electrical circuit. Most people can relate to the fact the electrician usually groups a few lights and plugs together. Rarely do they list off each room as to what the breaker controls.
With the insight and resolution of the GEM I was able to determine each circuit down to a 1 watt source, and mark it down on a spread sheet. So, now with this information at hand I can comfortably turn off a CB and know the power has been terminated.
(It goes with out saying - Safety is always paramount and testing at the point of use lights plugs with a test tool is always required to ensure life and safety)
Anyways, I was able to determine and watch what each device has been drawing and know how long it runs. This gives you the ability to also identify a device that is about to give up the ghost. Case in point I have a very old fridge and borrowed it from my Dads place. It was known this device was on it last leg.
The motor / compressor was rated to draw only 250 watts, watching this device plugged in and waiting for it to stabilize for a few hours. It was apparent that this device was exceeding the rated 250 watts, and was actually using 372 watts as the compressor labored and cycled up and down as it was about to die. Drawing more and more power just to operate to continue to keep the fridge at the set temperature.
The last thing I enjoyed watching is the long term investment of my Energy Star appliances. It goes with out saying that appliances cost you huge amount of money up front!
But, the end goal is knowing you spent all that money and hope to recoup it all due to long term use and lower annual power consumption.Case in point: I purchased two new LG washer dryers. The washer is the front loading type and the dryer is one of those sensor types. Watching the washer on its initial start it was drawing only 7-14 watts, for only a few minutes at a time the washer used 150-240 watts for short burts no longer than a few minutes at a time. This unit has a 10 year, and highly efficient direct drive motor suspended with magnets. With the water savings of the front load, coupled with the efficient use of power for those cycles required there is lots of savings.
The dryer was the exactly the same. On the peak this monster drew down over 3000 watts!
But, that pain was eased by watching that the dryer would cycle down and hover up and down at 140-260 watts for more of the cycles than it would be at the 3000 watt range. Because it has a sensor dry system. No matter what setting you use, if the appliance detects the clothes are dry, it will stop.This, is why I paid more up front . . . Instead of the blasted thing running for a full 1, 2 hours. It only runs for the time alloted and no more than the max timer set. In my case I have never had a load set for 41 minutes that was either met, or exceeded. Each time the dryer has turned off well before the 41 minute timer limit set.
It goes with out saying some of our use habits affect how and when we use the dryer. The washer is always set for max spin, this essentially rings out ever drop of water out of the clothes. Which equates to less drying time and less costs.
It also allows us to hang dry much more clothes than before on the clothe line. That, is a big money saver alone. That comes down to habit, and avoiding the whole *Just in time use* if you can get the family to do their laundry well in advance. Then, hang drying will allow the clothes to be ready when they need it, and avoid using the power hog of the dryer.
Now, who wants to help me get some data out of this GEM box???
Teken . . .
