Home Energy Tracking Solutions – Fine Homebuilding

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Written By Jim J Neal



Photo by Colter Williams, courtesy Randy Williams

Synopsis: Energy monitoring allows homeowners to monitor their electricity consumption and make informed decisions. Over the years, the way electricity is monitored in homes has changed. Technology has improved to the point that this functionality can now be integrated into smart electrical panels. Randy Williams and Travis Brungardt explore the many benefits of energy monitoring. They discuss both traditional and modern methods of tracking electricity use.

Many factors can affect the home’s electricity consumption. Many factors play a part in determining the efficiency of a home’s electricity use, including the type and habits of its occupants. Monitoring electricity consumption used to require complicated equipment. This is all changing.

New technologies allow you to monitor whole panels or individual circuits using technology that is integrated directly into panels or breakers. Aftermarket products can also be installed within panels. These technologies have been around for some time. Optional products that permit point-of-use monitoring or utility-usage monitoring can also be installed inside panels. These electrical-monitoring options can be installed in both new and existing construction. An electrical meter is used to bill electricity usage. It is typically located outside of the home. These meters measure the wattage of your home and bill you in 1000-watt units or 1 kilowatt. The average electricity rate in the United States at present is $0.14 per kilowatt-hour (kwh). Multiply the kilowatt hour usage by the rate to calculate the cost.

These meters track the total electrical load in the home. You will need to monitor the individual circuits and appliances in order to gain a better understanding of electricity usage.

Photo by Colter Williams, courtesy Randy Williams

New school vs Old school

Smart breakers can be paired with smartphones

A smart panel, also known as a “load center”, is a device that transmits information about every circuit to a smartphone application. It’s used in conjunction wi-fi-enabled breakers. This allows you to see detailed information about the devices and how much electricity they are using.

Fix it!

A clamp-on meter measures how much electricity is drawn from a particular branch circuit in amps. This can then be converted into watts to calculate the impact on your electric bill.

It is easy to plug it in

The plug power meter plugs into the receptacle to measure the electrical draw of any device or appliance plugged in.

Photo: Jodi Mitchell

Photo: Jodi Mitchell

Energy monitoring: The benefits

Energy monitoring allows users to monitor their electricity consumption so they can make better decisions and have more control. They might look into replacing an older appliance if they find that they are using more electricity than they expected.

Motivating behavior change in thermostat settings or the “shutting off lights” example is the same. Modern versions of this might include replacing bulbs with LEDs. However, the basic idea is the same. An educated user will be able to make better decisions and invest in the right things.

It is also possible to monitor your electrical usage to determine when and if you should invest in solar panels. With the assistance of professionals, homeowners can get a clear picture of their electricity usage and determine the best size system for them. This will ensure a solar system that meets the home’s electricity needs and a return on investment.

Someone who has solar might monitor their usage and decide if they need more panels or to clean them. A battery storage system might be an option for someone who is paying more for electricity during peak hours. In this instance, knowledge is power–literally.

Monitoring of electricity prices in the ftermarket

Many companies have created energy-monitoring equipment that can be fitted inside an electrical panel at home. All of them use a clamp or doughnut to attach around a wire to record energy flow. The Emporia Vue or the Sense energy monitors are two popular options. These systems can provide valuable information about where and when electricity is being used in a home. This may lead to homeowners changing their habits or replacing appliances with more efficient models.

Emporia Vue

Monitoring branch circuits. You can add clamp-on sensors on the Emporia Vue to monitor individual circuits.

The Emporia Vue installs a clamp-on current detector around a wire. You can monitor the entire electrical panel, or just the main service conductors. Or you can add 16 clamp-on current sensors that monitor each branch circuit wire in the panel. This will give you the most accurate information about your home’s electricity use. All sensors are connected to a central hub.

The hub communicates wirelessly with Emporia Vue, which allows you to view and record data. The manufacturer states that 1-second data will be retained for three hours, 1-minute data for seven days, and 1-hour data for indefinitely.

The downside is that the more sensors you have, the more stuff inside the panel. The panel is cluttered with all the clamp-on current sensors, cables, and other equipment. Any changes to the panel will take more time to make or move.

The Sense

Direct data. The Sense hub attaches to the main conductors to collect data specific to a home’s electrical usage.

The Sense uses a central hub that has one set of clamp on current sensors. These are located on the main service conductors which feed the electrical panel. Instead of additional clamp-on current sensors to monitor individual branch circuits the system uses machine learning detection to “learn” electrical usage by different appliances and devices. The system will eventually be able distinguish between electrical equipment and track individual energy consumption.

The Sense app allows you to see data, including real-time energy usage and trends, as well as what’s being turned on in your house. Although there may be errors in recognizing the equipment operating at any one time, the overall electricity consumption of your home will be accurate. There is also less clutter on the electrical panel.

Monitoring methods from the past

A clamp-on ampmeter is a tool that allows you to check the electrical consumption of a particular circuit. The electrical draw will be displayed by clamping the meter on a particular branch circuit in the panel. This is usually done in amperage. It is not possible to bill electricity in amperage. A quick calculation is required to convert amperage into wattage. Voltage multiplied with amperage equals Wattage. This monitoring system has one drawback: it only provides consumption data for a particular time period. Most clamp-on meters do not allow for continuous usage recording.

A plug power meter is another old-school way to monitor energy consumption. These plug-in devices are very useful for monitoring and recording individual appliances’ electricity consumption. The Kill A Watt Meter is one of the most well-known models. This type of electricity monitoring device is easy to use. Simply plug the meter into an electrical outlet, then plug in the appliance or device you wish to monitor into the meter. These meters only show the usage of the electrical device that is plugged into them and can only be used in 120v circuits. Some units can record usage over time and calculate the electricity consumption.

Smart service panels and breakers

Span Panel

There are many options for energy usage monitoring technology in a new home. This is possible without the need to purchase an aftermarket solution. In the past decade, panel manufacturers have made many advancements in energy monitoring technology. Most of these devices transmit data via Wi-Fi to an app on the owner’s smartphone. This allows them to share information and allow remote control access to the breaker. Although there are different levels of control between products, the basic principles are the same regardless of which brand or proprietary gear is used.

Span Panel

The 32-space Span Panel load centre includes a hub that transmits usage data from each circuit directly to the Span App. The Drive module, a compatible EV charger from Span, can be used in conjunction with the Span app and Span panel. This allows users to send solar-generated electricity directly to the EV charger instead of back to the grid. Utilities often buy back power for a lower price than they sell it. Span offers indoor panels that are new and can be used alone, or an exterior meter base that is similar to Square D Energy Center’s integrated panel cabinet. Both options do not require a proprietary circuit breaker and only require standard 1-in. circuit breakers.

Square D Energy Center

Square D Energy Center

Square D Energy Center offers a more comprehensive approach. The hardware cabinet includes the base, 60-space panel and the meter. It is also generator- and solar-ready. The accompanying smartphone app allows you to manage individual power circuits within your home and provides real-time data on energy use.

Energy Management Circuit Breaker

Eaton’s Energy Management Circuit Breaker is what it calls. It allows for real-time energy usage monitoring, scheduling and notifications. Remote on/off control can also be done through the Smart Energy Manager app. It is very similar to the Square D smart breakers and Leviton smart breakers. However, Eaton’s EMCB can be used with legacy and new BR load centers and BAB load centers. This makes it even more appealing for adoption. Available in single- or two-pole BR breaker sizes from 15 to 50 amp, they can be easily inserted into any existing BR panel.

Energy Management Circuit Breaker

Leviton 42 Space Load Center

Leviton 42 Space Load Center

The Leviton 42 Space Load Center uses smart circuit breakers that have Wi-Fi capability. It also has a hub to send data to a smartphone application. With the Wi-Fi-connected breakers in place, the user has access to energy-use data specific to individual circuits–potentially all of them exclusive of the main. The user can also use the remote control and alert function to remotely trip a breaker using their smartphone. This function can be used to detect a problem or to reset the electric water heater in the cabin after a weekend away.

Utility-meter technology is new

An electrical utility meter records the energy consumed by a home to bill. These meters used dials that rotated or spun as the electrical current passed through. Each month, someone had to read the meter. Modern electrical meters are much more sophisticated. This version transmits time-specific usage information to a central hub. The transmission of consumption data can be done via radio frequency or power lines. Towers are required to receive and/or reproduce the signal. Cellular transmission is another option. The meter transmits data via existing cellular communication networks. These meters are capable of recognizing a power cut and communicating that information to the electricity provider.

Modern electric meters can also record electricity usage. This information is usually provided in hourly or daily increments. It reveals the times with the most electricity use. Advanced meters can even track usage down to the minute. This information can be used to determine when equipment in the home switches on or off. You can often identify which appliance is in use by knowing how much electricity it uses.

While both the traditional methods of monitoring and checking electrical usage will still be useful, receiving metered data directly from an electricity provider will provide information about electricity usage. However, newer technologies make it much easier to track power usage. This data is useful and essential for assessing the electrical needs of a home, sizing a solar-panel system or just to understand the residential clients’ electrical usage.

Travis Brungardt co-owns Catalyst Construction, Prairie Village, Kan. Randy Williams performs energy audits/assessments and is the voice behind northernbuilt.

Except where otherwise noted, photos by the manufacturers

Fine Homebuilding #311