Hello Nathan,nbarnard wrote:Hey Teken,Hello Nathan,
I wanted to clarify a point in case it was not made clear to you as to what you're buying. The GEM does not store any data from your home.
It simply monitors and send that data to what ever service / device you feel meets your needs. The GEM can certainly send your energy readings to SEG and Brultech has a site already site up on SEG.
You can also view my site in my signature and you can see what kind of widgets, reports, graphs can be down loaded. The Dash Box (DB) Server can certainly produce daily, weekly, monthly, yearly charts / graphs for you.
As Ben indicated you can add in the primary CT's when the need arises etc. But keep in mind with out the primary electrical legs being monitored you would never be able to see at a glance the live (total load) at any point in time.
Yes, I am aware of the data storage/reporting via GEM to local PC vs web vs to DB. In fact I have been considering DB instead of spending the $90 on a network card for GEM. Still, as long as there are free data hosting sites like SEG I will opt for this cheaper option. Would love to use DB but the entry price point for GEM setup is already really pushing my budget!
I guess I should get the mains monitored, better for the instant current usage readout and historical of whole house.
I have a geothermal system (GSHP), as well as home business (cabinet shop) that I would like to figure out where my electricity is going. I average $340/mo in electricity.
By the way, your installation post is one of the main reasons I am considering this system. Product/company doesn't appear to be marketed very well, but after extensive reading on forums it seems to be alive and have good product/support.
Thanks again for the help guys!
Nathan
You can definitely purchase any of the communication add-on's as finance allows in the future. I am glad my projects thread has provided you some useful information along with examples of the various offerings from Brultech and others.
It should be noted Brultech continues to offer the best value per CT when compared to any other energy monitor on the market. The huge distinction between Brultech when compared to others is their open platform, user interaction, and on going development.
There are really only three tiers of energy monitoring makers in the industry. Brultech continues to lead the market in my mind as the top tier producer because development, performance, accuracy, and reliability is their hall mark and cornerstone to their business.
They are currently the only energy monitoring company that has a presence in the (HA) Home Automation space which allows you to integrate the energy readings into Vera, ISY Series Controller, Home Seer, etc.
As you noted Brultech does not have much in ways of advertising or web presence. But, rest assured when people get over using some of the (Toy) like devices on the market and get really serious about accuracy etc.
The bulk of them invest their money into the Green Eye Monitor (GEM). Good luck and I look forward to seeing a projects thread of your own here in the Brultech forum.