Become a WIZARD of monitoring energy consumption!

[@artisanelectrics]

Thanks to Open Energy Monitor for sponsoring this video, you can find out loads more information about what they do and offer here 👉 bit.ly/3pHQ5Bw-OpenEnergyMonitor

[@timballam3675]

Can you blur out the WiFi network names at 3:58 as that's bad secops....

[@cianb2]

Hey Jordan, not sure about the specifics of that device but from my experience the ct's should never be installed without being terminated the other end (ie not clipped to a live cable with current flowing without being plugged in to the energy monitor). Can create a huge voltage and damage equipment

[@cheeseburgerbeefcake]

Using monitoring gear that does not require the use of a cloud ecosystem is fantastic to see, OpenEnergyMonitor gear can be used both a cloud service or local communication for those who like to use HomeAssistant or other locally hosted tools. One of the large concerns around a lot of the likes or Ring and Nest ecosystems where you have no way to directly communicate with the device is that the vendor decides that your equiptment is obsolete and it just stops working or loses functionality, forcing an expensive replacement for what is perfectly good gear.

[@deathruddlesdeathruddles5438]

That reference power plug you talked about is likely an old style transformer (not switch mode). That will be supplying a voltage reference at a known phase angle. The processor can then calculate power from a known voltage source more accurately than assuming a fixed 240V. The voltage reference will then also enable phase angle difference between current and voltage reference to be measured, thus giving power flow direction. That of course enables the processor to calculate how much current is flowing to the grid, or not as the case maybe.

[@davidbeakhust9797]

Simply put - unless you know the relationship between the voltage and current, you don't know whether power is coming or going and the arrows on the CTs are pointless, nor can you separate reactive current from resistive current. The transformer inevitably will introduce a small phase shift of its own, but presumably, this is small, and the company knows what it is, so can allow for it in the firmware in the box

[@eliotmansfield]

yeh that’s pretty much exactly what it’s for

[@TheChipmunk2008]

@@eliotmansfield reverse polarity on the socket feeding the reference Tx could cause interesting issues :)

[@corymac]

3:07 Im just happy to lighten the load of your day from afar 😇😎⚡️

[@CoolerQ]

I think you would love a "cable tie tool" - it cinches up the tie and flush cuts the tail in a single squeeze of the trigger! Perfect cable ties every time.

[@rsmckgla]

A similar product which is good for monitoring is the Shelly EM - I’ve got one in each consumer unit, two CT clamps, monitors voltage too, and has a little relay built in that can trigger contactors on/off based on load. Great little product.

[@davideyres955]

Agree. Just dropped mine in and have Shelley’s app and it also feeds Home Assistant so it shows up on my dashboard.

[@DTech101]

Looked at the vid then went to see how much this was and it’s a lot of phaffing about with transformers I just bought a Shelly with two 120A clamps for under a tonne and I can integrate it with almost everything

[@hadham101]

Agree totally. The Shelly EM is a simpler solution for energy monitoring and is way cheaper and smaller than a Pi based solution. It also integrates to Home Assistant and doesn't need a separate power supply as it runs on 240V.

[@sende115]

Seeing what's required to set that up makes me thank the Dutch Smart Meter Regulations (DSMR) which mandates that smart meters have a "P1 port (which is basically just a 6-pin RJ12 connector)" on them which you can use to connect energy monitoring tools with data being updated every second. Via this port the smart meter provides the current readings for all phases which includes amps, volts, watts (also total across all phases), current tariff (high or low), and also linked meters like gas.

[@geoffh1055]

Great videos. Really rate the tips you always give but also the whole ethos, workmanship all served up in an incredibly slick and effortless presentation. Extremely watchable. Your cable tie tips are spot on too. So simple - so good.

[@SimonHollandfilms]

just the kind of device i am looking for. my dream would be a consumer unit with all thjs pre installed per circuit. any ideas?

[@edc1569]

Look at commercial grade kit, Schneider I think do MCBs with monitoring built in, get ready to spend though!

[@ludwigeilers429]

I'm with you on the flush cutting cable ties. My arms bare the marks of sparky cut ties. TELCO NZ have made non flush side cutters a no no. I love my Lindstroms!

[@ehsnils]

This looks like a 1-phase residential installation. In Sweden, where I live residential units are 3-phase with the exception of old apartments. 2:10 - is there a bus bar unit in the panel at the bottom? The reason I ask is that if there's something unexpected like a rodent entering the system the juice from the rodent is collected in the bus bar insulation that's shaped as a tray causing less then pleasant results with jumping voltage between the bars. From that perspective I'd prefer the bus bar at the top where the insulation acts as a "hat". To me this solar panel unit looks quite small, but on the other hand the one I'm familiar with can put out up to 10kW and has a battery pack to draw power from during the time the sun isn't shining - and it also make the production to the grid smoother. I assume that the reference power supply is more like an unstabilized transformer with voltage to the box proportional to the grid voltage, but maybe there's more info on that. Today with hourly pricing of electricity the systems also can be a lot more advanced and allow for controlling which units that shall be running - like charging an EV when the power is cheap.

[@marcusjenkins]

It's very cool that it's open source. With the post pandemic component shortages, Raspberry Pi's are as rare as hens' teeth and so cost more like £150, IF you can find one. Then there's their energy consumption, a Raspberry Pi 4 uses 4W at best, this is for an energy conscious user 🤷🏼. Plus, that enclosure is HUGE! Re-spinning this as an Orange Pi Zero 2 (much smaller, much cheaper, available, much lower power draw) with a 3D printed case (could clip direct to DIN rail) plus a DIN rail 5V PSU would make a neater, easier, cheaper, lower power install. Or just use a Shelly EM which are really cheap, insanely easy to install and has a simple network API for getting data and hooking up to all sorts of other home automation goodness.

[@Umski]

OpenEnergyMonitor is fantastic - I still use one of the original emonTX, associated emonBase and old school GLCD and emonCMS to monitor my energy since 2014 - they are all Arduino based (which needs a bit of software knowledge but the forums are invaluable) but one day I may move to a Pi to combine some hardware - then linked with a homebrew diverter I have been using my PV to heat hot water - essentially free for 250 days of the year :) As stated elsewhere, the other transformer plug is to use the AC waveform to derive the voltage - most other monitors on the market simply assume 230V or 240V which can lead to errors...

[@artisanelectrics]

Excellent comment thanks

[@angusgeorge8003]

Had one for 3 years. Just brilliant

[@elminster8149]

At last an opensource monitor, it will also link with an EVSE (open source) charge point! Looks easy to use as well which is a plus for open source. The EVSE charge point may be one to try out Jordan.

[@artisanelectrics]

We have already installed a few of those!

[@zmanicminer]

I recently installed 2 Emporia monitors - one in the house CU and one in the CU for my garden office. Way more functional than the emonPi with 15 circuits individually monitored and graphed, in addition to the grid feed and soon my solar/battery/inverter feed. Next step will be to flash them so that they push data directly to Home Assistant rather than back to Emporia servers for Home Assistant to download. Also, Jordan please throw away those awful plasterboard screw-in "fixings" and use something decent like Fischer plugs!!

[@timballam3675]

Where is your data stored? As it looks like cloud services how long before they start charging monthly or even just stop supporting the device (bricking it)? Secondly this system is open source, you can buy the bits and put it together yourself you can even change the software to do what you want.

[@zmanicminer]

@@timballam3675 The Emporia is ESP32 based so can be flashed to send the data wherever you like - admittedly out of warranty, and yep the device ships with firmware that submits to Emporia servers. There is open source community-built firmware out there for it already :)

[@furmek]

problem with emporia is that it's not true RMS reading and you get wierd readings for stuff like pool pumps or induction cooktops.

[@BenWiseman007]

the arrow on the ct doesnt point in the direction of current flow mate, its called AC for a reason.... it alternates. its direction of power flow for typical consumption for grid so grid to house, for solar its inverter to fuse box.

[@vincentstragier6628]

Open Energy Monitor is really cool. There is a lot of information on their website. On my side, I choose another wattmeter from Shelly, the Shelly 3 EM pro. Unlike the system installed in the video, you need a server to log the energy consumption (I used Home Assistant, but I had to enable more entities to be able to measure the energy consumption on each CT). The neat thing with the Shelly 3 EM pro, is it's a DIN module, so it lives in the consumer unit (in Belgium, we have more space to wire such modules). Also, since, I have only a one phase system, I had to use a wago to interconnect every voltage input (sadly we cannot set this in software).

[@djb774]

Made me wince when you drilled through with a s/o below! Never mind the stud finder where was the cable finder? That could have been an expensive fix!

[@TheKhirocks]

Great vid covering 'enthusiast' gadge. Extra points for showing the full installation including consumer unit. Most videos just say, "so install x, y, z..." And move onto the configuration part without explanation. Thank you for not assuming knowledge

[@artisanelectrics]

Glad it was helpful!

[@grahamhealy5171]

I'd also recommend the Shelly EM, it's tiny and can be hidden inside of the consumer unit!

[@johankorten2797]

Cambridge, the home of Raspberry Pi :) Great demo. We should invest much more in open source products like this. Node-RED allows to program (graphically). you can use it to e.g. trigger some event and e.g. send a notification etc.

[@artisanelectrics]

Couldn't agree more!

[@richardlyd7450]

I thought they were made in pencoed in Wales?? And the energy monitor is a Welsh company as well??..

[@BenGillam]

8:01 You must have been lucky with new builds, our cables down to sockets or light switches if he’s are anything but straight down when I scan with my stud and AC wire finder very frustrating wish I had X-ray vision 😂

[@mark_just_mark]

I have Emporia Energy monitor which looks a lot better and more practical. It takes power from the board, no plug needed, and runs on wifi - plugs and network cables are so impractical for UK consumer unit locations…

[@HowardBurgess]

Nice install and kit. Is it ok to have a single-insulated wire coming from inside the consumer unit into an accessible metal device that’s not earthed?

[@artisanelectrics]

Not sure what you are referring to?

[@terry.hudson]

It's a good point. I'd say in this instance the CT wire will have two cables inside, which will be insulated and then the outer sheath acting as the second layer. They will be Extra Low Voltage too, so keeping them in a separate entry hole, will prevent any other issues.

[@HowardBurgess]

Sorry I wasn’t clear. It appears that the emonPi device with its metal case could be considered an exposed conductive part. Before the CT coil is plugged in, the device is presumably double-insulated and hence all is good. However, it could be argued that as soon as you put a wire from it going directly into the consumer unit, it introduces the possibility of the case becoming live. The CT coil cable could be damaged and hence touch a live part in the consumer unit. In all probability everything will be fine, and this sort of thing is done frequently, especially with the number of current-measuring devices we have these days.

[@MrKlawUK]

seems a big box for only two CT clamps. Assume its running a little local web server which is how you get the dashboard - will look more into this (with more CT clamps for battery and possibly ring circuits). Interesting!

[@marcusjenkins]

Oooh, there's another thing I didn't twig, CT clamps must be separated! Thanks! I think that explains one of the problems I've been having!

[@thingsmadebyjoe]

OpenEnergyMonitor are great. I’ve used them for a while

[@JC-jv5xw]

The low voltage cable sense wire from those current clamps is unlikely to have full 300V insulation. I would prefer to add a thicker sleeve over where they are in close proximity to the 240V circuits as you are below the normal 50mm separation. Particularly inside the consumer unit. Also I always feel that clamping the neutral is slightly safer than clamping the live as there is far less possibility of insulation break down.

[@electrojessy4270]

I use the wago lnbox mini too very nice and if you buy more you have nice little boxes that stack

[@bikerchrisukk]

I tried a shelly the other day, quite good and shows watt hours used during each hour of day, then daily total and active watts used for at a glance reference. Bit expensive though at approx. £60 for one wifi EM unit and one CT clamp. Each Shelly unit can do two circuits though. For drilling, I like the trick of using an envelope stuck to wall for small drilling jobs. Nice vid 👍 PS Also the shelly is just a matchbox sized box and takes power directly off a fuse.

[@chriscleverly8356]

Good idea using an envelope taped to wall when drilling, have used this method for many years even used a rubbish sack. Used insulation tape on occasions but it often pulls the paint off the wall, be careful

[@bikerchrisukk]

@@chriscleverly8356 I use the envelopes that have peel away sticky bits. Don't pull paint off and done in one

[@DTech101]

Not really that expensive I just paid £73.48 for two clamps and the Shelly EM and express delivery this system for Jordan is £200 odd, and almost everyone is integrating Shelly in hoobs homebridge home assistant

[@DTech101]

Not really that expensive I just paid £73.48 for two 120amp clamps and the Shelly EM and express delivery this system for Jordan is £200 odd, and almost everyone is integrating Shelly in hoobs homebridge home assistant

[@bikerchrisukk]

@@DTech101 Wow, didn't know his great was that much. Mind you, looks solid enough.

[@anthonyschofield7807]

Try looking at the Owl intuition system Jordan which tells me what my total load is plus my solar panel output all on an easy to read app and can also control my heating remotely

[@andrewjameson5918]

Great bit of kit, however the company is not easy to get hold of on the phone or via email so that is letdown from tow points of view. I do however have question, I have an economy 7 tariff, so do I buy one with one or two CT's so I can monitor both supplies as currently I have two Wylex re-wireable fuse boards for each supply. Any help would be appreciated.

[@maxking3]

If you had a crack at KNX, the ABB EM/S3.16.1 would do everything and much more, while the measuring could then be used to switch on consumers, visualize consumption (on pretty much any device) and control things like heat pumps, saunas and hot tubs without a server and with a tried and tested standard. I wish I could show you around the Light&Building show in Frankfurt in October and give you a crash course in KNX and digital electrics.

[@artisanelectrics]

That would be cool

[@maxking3]

@@artisanelectrics Seriously. Be my guest… And it is one of the biggest trade shows for Electricians in the world. Lots of cool stuff and new ways to be more productive!

[@tomlowe4156]

You didn’t use the test button on the rcbo’s when testing them, even though I don’t trust them as a definitive way of testing an rcbo or RCD. Just because it tripped doesn’t mean in tripped within the acceptable parameters.

[@wolflouis_official]

Haha yeah also took my attention. And also the device seems a tiny bit off level hahahaha

[@richardmanford4730]

I bet you wished you had added the antenna before mounting on the wall?

[@gusocorredor]

I’ve always wanted to monitor solar power on a 3-phase. But with the high costs of these devices, it’s hard to justify buying them when the ROI is virtually 0. We are yet to come across lower cost monitoring systems.

[@shihafeleninathanael7992]

Why don't you use cable ducts like conduit, tracking, etc?

[@Inknet1]

can you moniter a 3 phase supply? I suppose you would need a box with 6 ct clamps 3 for the incoming & 3 for solar?

[@mastweiler22]

The emonPi on it's own can't but with an emonTx (or possibly two) it can (wiith the correct firmware) have a look at the openenergymonitor setup guide. They also have a good support community.

[@kingkeygear]

If the CT's are only measuring AC current it wont matter which way the arrow is pointing. For DC it would matter but for AC no

[@themunchkinbear]

You said you had to be careful of the power going into the top of the switch and that there was nothing you could do about that yet 1 foot to your right was the main isolator from the meter ? Also shouldn’t there be an isolator from the PV I to the board so the entire board can be isolated ? Presumably those wires you stuck the CT clamp onto we’re still live ? I didn’t know about the arrows on CT clamps so always a learning point with your videos :)

[@Martin120577]

cable ties , yes.. just the ones from Thomas and Betts.. with the metal clips. ( they tie better )

[@jayc1140]

Could’ve turned the isolator off on the meter board to isolate the whole of the consumer unit no?

[@chrisgoodwin3617]

Another excellent video Jordan. Are you on the tools a bit more since Corey left? Keep up the great work, no company does it better. Chris, Northampton

[@artisanelectrics]

Yes I am enjoying being on the tools a bit more again

[@eliotmansfield]

Nice to see you looking at something more enthusiast orientated

[@artisanelectrics]

I try

[@dalemorgan1685]

Wouldn't the total house useage be a sum of the solar and grid import? Looks a good piece of kit 👍🏻

[@imark7777777]

Yes which is why the solar need to be monitor so it can be subtracted, that is if there is a significant amount.

[@markbedford4551]

Always a privilege to see someone who takes pride in their work.

[@davidanderson7015]

You need a voltage transformer to calculate SPQ and pf, a switched mode power supply is lacking this info

[@countertony]

The most annoying thing about my house is that the consumer unit is in the downstairs loo, so obviously having an easy connection to the router (and even more to device power and reference) is pretty much verboten.

[@peterholmes1540]

I've got a similar setup. There's an emonTx box which is a separate remote sensor you can put near the consumer unit and it talks to the emonPi over a low power radio signal. So the emonPi can be sited near the router. The emonTx can be powered by AA batteries, mine lasts about 2 months.

[@artisanelectrics]

Maybe you could use some kind of water wheel to power the router ⚡️

[@countertony]

@@artisanelectrics Urea-ly think so? I've heard of undershot and overshot waterwheels, but oversh*t is a new one...

[@mark_just_mark]

Emporia Energy monitor uses power from the board and runs on wifi - check them out mine is brilliant

[@DTech101]

@countertony Shelly EM is what you need it installs in your consumer unit no external power needed 😉 not sure how good wifi signal is in a metal consumer unit though.

[@hotfaulkner]

Bet the customer wished he’s gone for the zappi charging point now. Easily add extra CTs for solar.

[@Paul_Holmes]

Hi Jordan, not that you need it but just a tip I've learnt from bitter experience, if you drill with a very small bit and find that you hit a stud or a dab, then in the case of a stud you can then just screw in a wood screw with no need for a fixing, and it it was a dab then you can just drill a bigger hole and use a raw plug. Both are better than that fixing you are using as it has very little holding strength and any counter clockwise movement loosens it. But not wanting to teach you to suck eggs!

[@artisanelectrics]

Nice tip!

[@matthewsellers82]

What self-adhesive cable tie mounts are you using? All the ones I've found seem to peel off after a few months

[@MrCarnivoure]

Very informative as always 👏 👍 👌

[@artisanelectrics]

Thanks Tom!

[@alancwright]

Would be useful to know if it works on 3ph

[@skyemac8]

I have a power monitor, too, It’s called a hydro bill.

[@mprelectrical]

Those cables going into the bottom of that CU are awful, who did it?

[@dekegels]

i had exactly the same flush cutters but they broke at around 200 cable tie cuts

[@skyemac8]

I’ve heard same. Not good.

[@artisanelectrics]

Oh wow

[@user-lp2op9uu1w]

21:10 Isn't that to measure the voltage for your P=UI? I from the clamps, U from the wall wart? Maybe that's what you meant. Edit: That's also why its an old style transformer type, likely without any voltage regulator (But with a rectifier diodes and smoothing cap to make the sampling by the RPI easier) that way it can monitor the line voltage by measuring the output. It would not need to be referenced to ground, I would bet it’s not on second thought.

[@edc1569]

I imagine it’s just got an ac output so the monitor can figure out power factor as well as voltage.

[@CommercialGasEngineerVideos]

Every single video you look happy. What a positive KZbinr. Keep it going.

[@artisanelectrics]

Thanks I’m positively insane haha

[@CommercialGasEngineerVideos]

@@artisanelectrics that's what it is. Good insane NRG. Love it. Have a good long weekend.

[@TWOKDOK1]

It’s called a grommet because that is it’s name 👨🏻‍🎓.. early 17th century (in nautical use in the sense ‘a circle of rope used as a fastening’): from obsolete French grommette, from gourmer ‘to curb’, of unknown ultimate origin.

[@SuperVitz]

Is there any other software API other than nodeRED supported? I've got some a bespoke solution for my home, but will investigate this. Surprised I didn't know about it already so thanks for sharing.

[@JamesMossR33]

I see it uses MQTT too.

[@HenryOCarmichaelSmith]

I've had one of these for years. They work great when they work but I found the SD card kept corrupting and shitting itself every few months requiring you to rebuild and start fresh. Quite annoying.

[@imark7777777]

Sounds like the SD card they were using did not have the sustained right capabilities needed for all that data, hopefully they upgraded to a better model or maybe they just got a bad batch. I would recommend replacing with a much better quality SD card.

[@keepawayfromthetrout]

I had the same, using the emontx and emonesp sending data to a separate raspberry pi 2 with emoncms installed on it. There's lots of small amounts of write/reads which normal SD cards can't handle over time. Got an 'extreme' or whatever it was SD card designed for this purpose and it's been fine since!

[@edc1569]

You need to log to the cloud or a local server, as cards in pi’s crap out if you’re writing to them all the time, no matter how posh an sd card you buy.

[@goodplacereviewer2495]

Your a wizard Harry

[@philipsmith0752]

awesome install

[@artisanelectrics]

Thanks!

[@john999boy]

Why oh why are you consistently using the flush cutters to cut the cable ties when a cable tie gun will tighten and trim in one go!

[@davepusey]

2534W ? Good grief what were they running to need all that power, even without the EV charging?

[@metalhead2550]

Given they wanted an open source monitoring solution and a UPS, I would guess they're in software or engineering, so wouldn't be surprised if they were running a couple of servers, NAS's and desktops 24/7

[@ram64man]

Just a tip if you look at the bt box or most access points (excluding mesh units such as Google etc ) it should have a 5v usb a connector off of it thus saving the need for the mains plug

[@edc1569]

Probably not a great idea to run a pi off of it, particularly not if you’re professionally installing something. Pis will draw 2A plus at times.

[@gadgetman36]

It's ironic that only rich people who can afford current energy prices are also the only ones who can afford this expensive energy saving equipment that costs tens of thousands for the initial outlay and years to pay for itself.

[@goodplacereviewer2495]

Not anymore artisan electrics are offering 50% off

[@Shocker99]

@@goodplacereviewer2495 Isn't it a government thing, not Artisan. So any electrician can offer the discount?

[@PaulStuttard]

Of all the videos to leave a this comment on, you choose this one?! A video on something that is open source and practically being given away for free. I built mine for less than £50, ardiuno uno + arduino emontx shield + second hand raspberry pi. Hardly tens of thousands of pounds.

[@michaels8336]

@@PaulStuttard think they are referring to solar, not the monitor.

[@imark7777777]

Yeah it's too bad that they don't make this thing that would interrupt the flow of energy to something when not in use for a inexpensive price. I would call it a switch but I don't have any marketing sense.

[@imark7777777]

I installed a sense energy monitor. It's really too bad there's no ethernet on it because you know in the basement next to big metal objects it's just the right spot for wireless devices < sarcasm. And sure enough 3 feet away dangling from the ceiling the access point it was having trouble connecting to. I went this route because I wanted the device detection.

[@TheChipmunk2008]

hmm, seems like a sledgehammer to crack a nut, just connect to an old fashioned dumb meter, with twisty dials. Then when it goes backward,you're exporting, at whatever their cost per kWh is.... the power companies hate that because it's fair

[@tonynewton7902]

Why are you drilling into plasterboard? Poke a 3.5-4.0 flat head through then open up the hole with a ph/pz2 that way no one is drilling anywhere they shouldn’t. Think about your viewers not all are tradesmen.

[@Wintersky136]

Solutions for problems in GB… 🤣 Meanwhile in the rest of the world, we install a PV inverter (let‘s say a SMA STP 10k-TL30) and control/monitoring solution (let‘s say SMAs Sunny Home Manager) and you‘re done 🤣

[@johnlawrence9066]

Why not use a proper tyrap gun

[@artisanelectrics]

Not always easy to use in tight spaces

[@imark7777777]

Well if he's mind blown by the side cutters I could only imagine the mess that would cause. I was thinking the same thing. Although I have not seen the joy of using them.

[@DTech101]

@@imark7777777 🤣

[@raychambers3646]

The swa let's it down a bit.

[@ecoterrorist1402]

sponsored video, £225 o well it's brill fantastic, it's expensive go shellyEM £65 everyday Period.

[@ef7480]

All good stuff...but we are falling into the 'digital trap' . Just what energy companies are lobbying for. Other than that, yep, great..

[@edc1569]

What’s the digital trap?

[@tomwales5767]

Cant take him serious with that tache

[@artisanelectrics]

🤣🤣🤣

[@mfr58]

This is all very useful, but you do realise what all these "smarts" are enabling? Corporate state control of individual energy consumption and use choices. When I install my solar system it's not going to be corporate state smart, it's going to be under my control.