Benefit of monitoring main feeds (from power company) ?

[jtoutee]

Hello,
Just wondered if there are any benefit at all in monitoring the 2 main feeds coming from Hydro Quebec to the house ? After all we already have this information available on the counter and in each bill, and the Split 200s are not given...
Brgds/Jerome

[Teken]

Hello,
Just wondered if there are any benefit at all in monitoring the 2 main feeds coming from Hydro Quebec to the house ? After all we already have this information available on the counter and in each bill, and the Split 200s are not given...
Brgds/Jerome

Hello Jerome,

Speaking for myself I see lots of benefits in doing so.

1. Allows me to see which side of the house is more loaded when compared to the other.
2. Provides me insight to my NET metering.
3. Assists in trouble shooting and balancing loads for future electrical expansions.
4. Allows you to see the entire house power consumption with out the need to add up individual circuits.
5. Split 100 / 200 CT's offer 1% accuracy when compared to the micro 30, 40, 80 CT's.

6. Last but not least its fun being able to see the combined energy either together or separately!

[ben]

The main benefit is being able to view your total consumed power in real-time.

Do you plan on monitoring every individual circuit besides the main panel?

[sub3marathonman]

That is $83 (plus shipping if you didn't purchase as part of an order), so to me that's too much. I'm not saying they're overpriced for the quality you get, I just think that for $83 you can get more "bang for your buck." I didn't get them, and I'm not regretting it, at least not yet, but I am wishing I'd gotten a couple more Split-60 CTs, which while they are expensive too, in my opinion I'd rather not loosen, remove, and retighten a stranded circuit cable. Also, for the $83 you can buy many more regular CTs and probably have it so that all circuits are monitored, with possibly some combined together on a single channel. But that's just my opinion as a non-professional electrician.

I will say, regarding the Net Metering, that if you have a smart meter, there are two little arrows which indicate whether you're consuming or exporting electricity. With an old style meter of course you could watch the dial spin backwards. I believe that some utilities have a system where people can monitor their consumption with just a short delay period.

[ben]

If you're just purchasing a couple CTs, you may want to contact sales@brultech.com and get a quote as shipping -might- be a bit cheaper (depending on where you're located).

[nbarnard]

I was wondering the same thing - if I have all my loads monitored then why also monitor the mains?

My purpose for getting GEM is for the breakdown the the loads to pinpoint power hogs, not using net metering. I suppose the main vs sum of individual loads might help pinpoint problems with my CT wiring, as well as show how balanced each main leg is, but I can clamp the main with my Fluke meter for this.

Just wondering if I am missing something. Looking to purchase GEM kit and thinking I might skip on the 200a split CT and get more 40a CTs. Thoughts?

Thanks,
Nathan

[ben]

I was wondering the same thing - if I have all my loads monitored then why also monitor the mains?

My purpose for getting GEM is for the breakdown the the loads to pinpoint power hogs, not using net metering. I suppose the main vs sum of individual loads might help pinpoint problems with my CT wiring, as well as show how balanced each main leg is, but I can clamp the main with my Fluke meter for this.

Just wondering if I am missing something. Looking to purchase GEM kit and thinking I might skip on the 200a split CT and get more 40a CTs. Thoughts?

Thanks,
Nathan

You can do it that way.

When viewing overall reduction, it's a lot easier to look at how much power your mains are using then viewing each individual circuit, especially if you have a large panel (30+ breakers).

You can always add Split-200s on at a later point also if you do find the need for them.

[nbarnard]

OK, so from a reporting side, seeing the sum of all circuits/channels month over month isn't a standard report?

Is this something that can be configured or would I have to export to excel/database to perform? I'm sure I could write a query that would return this if I had access to database/raw data.

Thanks for the quick response. Looking forward to getting my system ordered and setup.

Also, any way to demo SEG reporting functionality? I already set up an account.

Nathan

[Teken]

OK, so from a reporting side, seeing the sum of all circuits/channels month over month isn't a standard report?

Is this something that can be configured or would I have to export to excel/database to perform? I'm sure I could write a query that would return this if I had access to database/raw data.

Thanks for the quick response. Looking forward to getting my system ordered and setup.

Also, any way to demo SEG reporting functionality? I already set up an account.

Nathan

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 set 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.

[nbarnard]

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.

Hey Teken,
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