Benefit of monitoring main feeds (from power company) ?

[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.

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

Hello 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.

[nbarnard]

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).

Hey Ben, I sent you guys a quote request yesterday to sales@ just checking that it went through. Thanks, Nathan

[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).

Hey Ben, I sent you guys a quote request yesterday to sales@ just checking that it went through. Thanks, Nathan

I can't confirm for that address. I'd assume it went through though. You can try sending me a test email ben(at)brultech.com.

[sub3marathonman]

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,
... 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.

...

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

I previously said that I didn't regret not monitoring the mains with the CT200s, and for $83 I still think it is substantial, but I am now starting to wonder if I should have done this and switched the CT60s which are expensive for the CT80s and I would have been at the same price.

First, it really wasn't as technical as I thought it would be putting the CT80 on a stranded wire connection. And second, the different series wiring requirement for the CT60s did cause another bit of confusion for me.

I hadn't really thought about the net metering aspect, nor the balancing of each 120v leg, as Teken mentioned. I also figured that with the speed of computers it wouldn't be any problem adding readings together for an overall consumption figure, which it seems unusual that the monitoring programs apparently don't do.

One last reason to monitor the mains is that the accuracy of the CT200s on one circuit will be far better than 40 or so CTs on every circuit in the house. I hadn't considered that aspect either, I just figured everything would be so accurate that it would match up with the consumption indicated from the electrical meter. I don't know if people who have systems installed have ever gone and checked the overall accuracy of the individual CTs combined vs. the accuracy of the CT200s on the mains vs. the electric meter reading.

And finally, one more thank you to Teken, whose installation postings and documentation, along with his continued help here, was a factor in my decision also to go with Brultech.

[ben]

I hadn't really thought about the net metering aspect, nor the balancing of each 120v leg, as Teken mentioned. I also figured that with the speed of computers it wouldn't be any problem adding readings together for an overall consumption figure, which it seems unusual that the monitoring programs apparently don't do.

Just an FYI, we've improved the aggregation of channels with the DashBox in the latest F/W. Grouping a large amount of channels should no longer be a bottleneck.

We now just need to get the newest F/W released.

[nbarnard]

What are some of the benefits to using the DashBox vs posting to SEG type online site? I understand stored local, no downtime for ISP , but other than that are the reports better, more flexible, etc? The DB seems to be the focus of development at Brultech. Thanks

[nbarnard]

I'd love to justify purchasing the Dashbox!

[Teken]

What are some of the benefits to using the DashBox vs posting to SEG type online site? I understand stored local, no downtime for ISP , but other than that are the reports better, more flexible, etc? The DB seems to be the focus of development at Brultech. Thanks

It really comes down to wants and needs for the end user. SEG is a great free cloud hosted site which offers many options for charting, graphing, and exporting. The Dash Box (DB) Server is a premium product which integrates seamlessly with the Brultech energy monitors.

If a person is looking for the cheapest and feature rich data storage, SEG is hard to beat. But for me data integrity, access, and ongoing development was key. This is what the DB brings to the table to the end user.

Brultech has been extremely open minded and supportive of my feed back in developing the DB. I believe everyone should simply try out the various free options and go from there. If SEG offers all of the features and options you like than stick with it.

I know speaking for myself migrating to the DB was just the natural next step. The benefit of having the DB is that you have the best of both worlds. Cloud hosted *virtual back up* and complete local redundancy on site with the DB.

Its safe to say many people have shared the same view as I because after reading my projects thread they too came to the same conclusion. The DB offers many HA aspects which SEG does not because all it is, is a storage solution that allows charting, graphing.

I don't believe a person should come into any purchase and having to justify it. The DB & GEM are an investment in energy monitoring tools that will bring not only awareness but help those to find solutions.

You will notice Brultech doesn't push their wares upon others in any replies or comments. The product is self promoted by the customer base and those that see true value in the product. I would ask you to think about each of these products as a long term investment.

I could list off half a dozen energy monitoring devices that are much less. I could also list off a dozen products that are twice the price of the DB & GEM combined. Yet none of them offer the same ability, features, and on going development as offered by Brultech.

At the end of the day not one of these companies allow the end user to help shape and define the product, none. Brultech has been in the Energy Monitoring business for more than 20 years and its safe to say this isn't a fad or just something to do for them.

In closing, play with what you have and see how it goes. If at a later date you find your self wanting more.

Guess what?

There's a solution ready and waiting for you to purchase!

[nbarnard]

Thanks Ben and Taken.

Is it possible for the dashbox to push notifications, such as via email? If so, is it also possible to define usage limits per circuit which would trigger a notification, say on a daily base? An example of this would be if my deepfreeze door was left open I'd like the system to notify me after it consumed more than its set daily limit.

Thanks!

[Teken]

Thanks Ben and Taken.

Is it possible for the dashbox to push notifications, such as via email? If so, is it also possible to define usage limits per circuit which would trigger a notification, say on a daily base? An example of this would be if my deepfreeze door was left open I'd like the system to notify me after it consumed more than its set daily limit.

Thanks!

The Dash Box currently is able to send alerts only if the system has detected a loss in connection to the GEM.

Your suggestion has already been requested as one of the next features to implement.

Please lend your voice to that feature request in that forum. As I too see value in having this ability. This hasn't been a big issue for me because the ISY Series Controller allows me to do exactly what you have suggested.


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