Sense Energy Monitor Installation and Overview | Watch Before You Buy

The Sense energy monitor installation is a fairly easy process and in this video I show it to you step by step. This Sense electric monitor has a lot of features to save you money, so I also give a brief overview of the Sense device so that you have an idea not only how to install it but also what it has to offer before you buy it. In a few months down the road I will follow up with a review on the device and how well it has done detecting all of the devices in the house.
Items Installed:
Sense Energy Monitor: amzn.to/2HBvKef
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Blessings,
Adam

[@joshuamoser9289]

Great job. Straight to the point without any confusion. Other videos are not that way. Would recommend to a friend

[@HowToHomeDIY]

I am glad you liked it. I really appreciate the feedback!

[@villacoya]

I don't need this device, i know where my drain is, two teenagers, wife, dog and a cat. No device can't kick them out 😂😂😂

[@HowToHomeDIY]

LOL! Literally laughed out loud to that one. Appreciate the laugh!

[@gabosantana]

Please do a follow up video with the outcome. Devices found accuracy and savings after 2 years would be great.

[@ltankhsd]

I am thinking about getting one of these. I see that you appear to be in FL too and my power bills the last few months have been insane. I moved into this house almost a year ago so I wasn't sure what to expect during the summer so didn't think much of it at first but now I am discovering that I seem to be using up to 3x the power a home my size should be using. A couple months ago I had a $507 power bill and somehow used 4500kwh that month for a home less just under 2,000 sq ft.

[@HowToHomeDIY]

Yes I am in FL as well so I know about this Florida heat haha. Wow that is A LOT of power usage at 2,000 square foot. There are so many things and maybe a combination of things that could be causing that to happen. I will say this about the sense device, it does make you want to be more aware of your power usage and encourage you to use less of it. As it discovers devices in the house that is when it gets kind of fun. But it has pointed out some things in my house that needed to be adjusted and now my power consumption is a little lower. In your case I would want one to figure out what in the world is running so much for the bill to be that high. You will probably be looking at about 3-4 weeks before the device has discovered a decent amount of the electrical items in the house to where you can really start pinpointing the issues. That being said it may be worth it in the long run to get that power bill down. Let me know what you end up doing and if you find out what is causing the high energy usage, I am curious about that. Also, if you have any questions about the device, feel free to give me a shout!

[@ltankhsd]

@@HowToHomeDIY Circling back to this post. We've had a few ok days in FL temperature wise but I will say that since I got Sense last Sunday (11/2/20) I discovered that my AC seemed to be using a hell of a lot of power. It's a 3.5 Ton unit and was using like 5000w when it should be using more like 3500w. After researching I decided to clean it with a hose (after shutting off requisite switches) since it is next to a dryer vent. It didn't seem super dirty to me but I will say that maybe coincidentally the AC power usage after that was back down to where it should be in the 3500-4000w range. Daily power usage has gone noticeably down since.

[@HowToHomeDIY]

That's great and a huge reduction in usage! So it is already paying for itself. As it discovers new things you will find yourself trying to figure out where you can save even more money. Kind of fun investigating and trying to figure out what device it is trying to show you it has found.

[@sharpenrightservicesllc]

Great video. I enjoy your channel. I'm considering the Sense device.

[@jesseemory3367]

Great video. I got one to see what size generator I would need to run my home. Your videos are really helpful. Getting a soft starter for my AC is next on my list.

[@HowToHomeDIY]

Hey Jesse, that was a good idea. So far I have been pretty impressed with it's accuracy. You will love the soft start kit especially if your power is out haha. How have you liked your sense monitor? Thank you for the feedback, I am really glad the videos have been helpful!

[@jesseemory3367]

@@HowToHomeDIY It's been great. It has found most of my appliances now. I have had it installed since January. I just purchased a Westinghouse 12000 watt generator and it only has 5% THD.

[@HowToHomeDIY]

@@jesseemory3367 Ok good to hear! Mine has been picking the appliances up fairly quickly so happy about that. That is a really nice generator and I am glad to hear you got one with the lower harmonics. That is overlooked a lot and the only focus is on output but is really important! 5% is right where you want to be!

[@smokey251]

I’m looking at this product for my house. After 2 years with this product is it worth the money? In the winter my electricity bill jumps 3x then the summer. I live in Oregon so we do have some cold winters. Any advice is greatly appreciated.

[@darinjohnson3671]

Thanks needed to know how to do this for a project

[@dahlia695]

Thanks for the informative video! Is this thing UL approved? If something bad happens will my home insurance blame me if I have this thing installed? Regarding piggybacking on another breaker, I think the reason they don't allow this in code is many (most?) breakers don't have terminals designed for multiple connections and if you piggyback you risk reducing the effectiveness of the connection and it can get hot and even burn or arc. I think they do make some breakers which are designed for multiple wires on the terminals and those may even be acceptable according to NEC. I'm not a big fan of cloud services working their way into monitoring my everything. Who do they sell my data to? Are they one of these cloud companies who someday decide they want to start charging a subscription fee or they will stop your service? There's just too much of this happening in tech lately. I would prefer something that would not require cloud services but rather work through my own computer running something like Home Assistant.

[@manclt704]

Your question regarding home insurance is indeed very valid, in fact I asked them too and their tech replied as "Sense is certified UL 2808 compliant by Intertek. You can see our certification seals and numbers on the monitor's label next to the Sense Serial number. Sense conforms to the following additional standards: CSA STD C22.2 No. 61010-1 UL STD 61010-1 UL STD 61010-2-032 CAN ICES-3(B)/NMB-3(B) CISPR 32 CISPR 35" As far as your concern regarding the cloud, it's too very critical that why they want our data at their end? Why don't they do all the work at our location, my guess is their sense device is not too powerful to analyze the wave forms to detect the electrical appliances by looking at the pattern using AI so maybe this red sense device is only a transmitter/uploaded of the wave forms to their cloud server where they may have high-end AI computer systems available to analyze the patterns and send back the reports. So, it doesn't seem like an independent system in your home and if this company is closed or acquired by another company in few years and they start charging you for the cloud services then who will stop them? I think they need to make independent device (their price is perhaps the highest price in the market for home energy monitors).

[@gottofly2]

I usually like Adams recommendations, but Sense’s guessing on what the load was, was unacceptable to me. I installed an IoTaWatt in about 30 minutes. Less expensive and it allowed me to monitor each branch circuit accurately. I have quickly ascertained which loads I can have on during a blackout. The data can be graphed over time or you can just view a live, real-time summary. Outputs can be customized to include all appliances for example. Better option in my opinion.

[@HowToHomeDIY]

Hey Lenny, I appreciate the honest feedback. I do not know much about the IoTa, how does it ascertain what appliance or lights for example, is on? Or is it that you label it when you put the sensor on each individual circuit?

[@gottofly2]

@@HowToHomeDIY the bigger appliances or loads are usually on their own circuit breaker i.e. AC, oven, stove, dryer. It’s easy to see if it’s a major load or just lights, fans or TVs. You are monitoring to determine which loads are a back-up must have or nice to have. It also allows you to see if another major load must be turned off first to use another major circuit. In my case, my 9.5KWH/12.5KWH peak generator will power all my minor loads plus my 5T AC including the AC fan on my furnace. My IoTaWatt cost $270 which included 2 100a main CTs (current transformers) and 12 50a CTs. I did take your advice on installing a 368-X72 EasyStart. I’m installing it tomorrow. Can’t run AC without it.

[@Michael-w8v]

@@HowToHomeDIY I know it is been 6 months, but I would've wanted to monitor exactly where it is power used. For example, I like to monitor higher power individuals, such as AC, my computer, theater, etc. And of course, power protection for higher power and better customer service is preferred.

[@Michael-w8v]

@@gottofly2 This is what I looking for since Sense was poorly customer service since they non-reasonable blocked me on Facebook. Thank you for that name.

[@HowToHomeDIY]

No it definitely guesses based on the signatures of the devices. Many times it’s a very educated guess and is correct but I’ve had plenty of times that it’s suggestion for what turned on was wrong and out of the suggestions it offers percentage wise, it was also incorrect. However, I still really like the device because like I said, many times it’s correct and after tracking down the ones it misses, it’s very informative.

[@01ltlb7]

How does it know what turned on from the mains. Like being able to tell the difference from a toilet flush or washer filling from the water meter. Also, if it can graph voltage, that'll be great for the customer to show the utility company when there lights are flickering.

[@111gng]

good video, as you have mentioned white wire connected to neutral, you may also explain the red & black - is it phase and neutral or ground .. is confusion. ideally looks white is ground ?

[@anpc86]

Any follow up to how you found its use? Seen mixed reviews on the algorithms Considering the Emporia Vue to just know whats coming from each circuit then complement with smart plugs

[@jerrymay3806]

Very. Informative!! Im saving that one!!

[@coreysgmail7261]

I don’t know electric …. But my stupid question is …. If to many items are on one breaker can it cause more higher bills …… like power surge of ac units ?

[@vcl6741]

Great video. Thanks for the in depth review. I'm wanting to get the sense because I want to monitor the basements 100amp sub panel which feeds into the main floors 200amp panel. Unfortunately I feel like the ct clamps could be too large to fit into my 200 Amp panel as all the wiring is really tight.

[@JuNlethalpoet]

I will definitely purchase the sense energy monitor!

[@HowToHomeDIY]

Enjoy! I have used mine quite a bit. Offers quite a bit of info that you wouldn't think you would use.

[@Memo-nd6fj]

Your comment from 1 year ago. Was it worth purchasing, one year later?

[@mikestuckey8835]

Why haven't you shown what the app shows for your devices conneced to the power.

[@Johnnyboybravo]

Thank you for the great in-dept detail on how to use this product. I do want to purchase this. However, I have a question. I have two breaker boxes in my house. One that is for electricity for appliances and the other box which is for the air conditioner. Will I need to buy two separate unites in order to record everything? Or would I need to place this on the outside box? My electric bill is usually between $200 - $299 a month and I want to find the source of what's causing the high bills.

[@HowToHomeDIY]

You want to put it in whatever box is furthest upstream or closest to the meter. That way it will capture everything downstream from it. If it is put in a subpanel then it will only capture what is being powered by that subpanel, your AC breaker box for instance is probably a sub panel. Hope this answers your question.

[@Johnnyboybravo]

@@HowToHomeDIY yeah, there is two subpanels inside. So in order to capture both (everything) I would have to have it clamped on the one outside? The ac subpanel is the closest to the outside meter, the other subpanel for everything else is the fartherest in the hallway closet.

[@aspitofmud6257]

Thanks. Nice job

[@TheReal_BenBrown]

What if you have a manufactured home? I have the breaker box on the pole, then the breaker box inside.

[@dworkid]

Thank you!

[@HowToHomeDIY]

You're welcome!

[@buckwilson4167]

is there a way to tell it what stuff is? Like if something comes on that it doesn't know what it is, can I tell it that I just turned on the stereo or whatever else?

[@travislittle7620]

Thanks!

[@HowToHomeDIY]

You’re welcome! Glad you liked it. Thanks for the feedback!

[@user-ny5be4lm8z]

how does this sensor figure out which appliance is the source of the consuption when say there are multiple appliances on at the same time eg 2 Air conditioners ...will it be able to distinguish between AC 1 and 2 ?

[@elingedgar]

Yes, it works based on the electric signature of each device. Some are not going to be detected in detail but are minimal, and they are updating the database pretty often.

[@martinkolczyk8208]

If the power is down and also the internet and I am running on a generator, will I still be able to see the usage on my smart phone or iPad? Thanks

[@HowToHomeDIY]

If your generator is powering the circuit and your internet modem then yes you can.

[@Good-Enuff-Garage]

excellent video, but how does this monitor your Solar?

[@Brad.W]

The readings are even more complex when you also have solar.

[@Cenlalowell]

Google should buy that company

[@HowToHomeDIY]

With the way they buy companies, it wouldn't surprise me!

[@Bob_Lob_Law]

No. They would shut it down, like they shut down everything.

[@Cenlalowell]

@@Bob_Lob_Law wrong never shut nest down

[@NormanRogers-hp8cp]

You did not specify line or load when hooking up your black wires, somebody could hook up 2 hot wires to the same switch.

[@stanatqc]

Do y'all think that installing my Sense device on an intelligent thermostat circuit (Stelpro Maestro) may interfere in some way with it?

[@malversewatkins4990]

I have a three way switch and when I flip either switch the light comes on and goes off as if I just flip the switch on and off. Sometimes it comes on and stays on I changed out the switch and that didn't work what do I check next

[@shed.projects5150]

Good video, some costings would have been good too.

[@johnpicard4909]

Very nice. You are very detailed. Thank you!

[@HowToHomeDIY]

It is my pleasure. Thank you John!

[@thaddeus1519]

After a few years has Sense pretty much found every device and do you still use it?

[@gottofly2]

Adam, I noticed EMPShield was advertising on your channel. They purport to protect your entire home from a lightning strike or even a high altitude EMP. All 3 EMP type events and are listed on DHS website.. I recently bought one because it appears to be such a high quality, fast acting surge protector (500/trillionths of a second) and I wanted to protect my home. Kind of pricey but I wondered if you had looked at them and if you were going to try it on your channel?

[@HowToHomeDIY]

I have not really looked into them. I know I briefly did a couple years ago before I bought my SPD. I ended up getting a Siemens FS140. It is my understanding with the one I got if ferrites were added to the incoming lines and sensitive devices, that it would be effective against EMP type events. I don't know enough about the EMP shield as far as how it works exactly. I just know that they advertise it as for in the event of an EMP. How do you like yours?

[@gottofly2]

@@HowToHomeDIY I’ll let you know. I get it tomorrow.

[@gottofly2]

@@HowToHomeDIY It was easy to install into a DPST 240v 15a breaker. Two LED's confirm its working. Now its waiting for a lightning strike or a nuclear attack. I'll hope for the former, if I get to choose. 😊 But I think I'm better off with it then without it.

[@donhuffer5167]

Am I the only one installing my electric panel between the studs?

[@johnathanhobson8399]

Where should I hook it up. The main comes in to the house outside. Then goes into a box with 3 breakers. 200 amp House panel, 60 amp Sub panel for my outside bar and a 60 sub panel for pool equipment.

[@HowToHomeDIY]

In order to monitor everything it would need to either be in your first box outside or your main panel with all your circuit breakers. If you put it in one of the sub panels downstream it will only be monitoring that panel or anything downstream from it. Hope this answered your question.

[@vladimir0700]

Does this also monitor voltage, because if it doesn’t there’s no way it can be accurate

[@fullsleevetats]

I have, quite literally, hundreds of discrete devices living in my home. I have well over 75 separate wireless devices alone, not including appliances, outlets, wired devices. How exactly is this supposed to know which of my 20 smart plugs is being used? How does it know the difference between a fan in the office and a fan in the bedroom?

[@elingedgar]

Is going to detect a fan, not exactly the location. After that you can turn on/off the item in order to recognize its signature properly.

[@boxingfavsmg]

Is yours still working? Mine didn’t last long after install. Too much of a pain to mess with it in the panel…

[@HowToHomeDIY]

Yup. Mine is still going strong all the years later.

[@10p6]

A year on, what is your opinion on this? Does it correctly detect devices?

[@HowToHomeDIY]

Yes in many cases it does, but in some, you kind of have to investigate what exactly is turning on once it identifies a device.

[@HowToHomeDIY]

Yes

[@huakaneohana]

Any options or ideas if wifi is not available?does it store the info and can be periodically taken to wifi to retrieve data?

[@huakaneohana]

Or wired directly to a computer?or to a Bluetooth receiver to send info to a device?

[@HowToHomeDIY]

As far as I know, the only way for this device to work properly is with wifi. There is no LAN port for it and it needs to be able to communicate with the Sense servers in order for it to discover devices, update, etc. If you have internet of some form, many people just buy an inexpensive access point with wifi just to be able to get their sense device to work properly. If this isn't feasible there are some other options out there that can monitor your power usage without needing a wifi connection, they just might not have AS many features. I hope this helps!

[@carlosmartoral6268]

Other than black, white and ground wires I have seen a red wire. Where is the red wire connected on a switch or outlet?

[@manclt704]

The way the Sense power cord is designed, only the black wire out of the pair of red and black hot wires carries current, so one complete circuit is formed by it and the neural. The Sense can power on and technically function without the red wire in place. However, the red wire needs to be connected to the opposite phase of a split phase panel to sample the voltage and see the wave offset. This is necessary to calculate accurate wattage on the -120V phase and for the device detection algorithms to work appropriately. Other wires are neutral or ground.

[@jeremiahbrior8821]

What's with the wire nuts in the box?

[@manclt704]

It might be for piggybacking if needed or allowed by electric codes of your city

[@mysongapi]

You have installed it 3 months ago do you have any statistics around how much were you able to identify

[@HowToHomeDIY]

Hey, so far it has identified 14 appliances/lighting/equipment. It has found all of my larger items and a decent amount of smaller items such as lights in rooms, crockpot, coffee maker, etc. Sometimes it isn't sure what the device is so you have to try and figure out what it is by turning things on and off to see if it shows up on the app when you turn it on and then you just label it what it is. Most of the time it either knows what it is or has suggestions.

[@Nicholassc7k]

So the service mains weren't live?

[@HowToHomeDIY]

For the purposes of this video, no 😂

[@BandWidthExpired]

Does this unit need internet access? or could be setup on a stand alone wifi?

[@HowToHomeDIY]

As long as there is wifi signal with internet, within range of this device that you can connect it to, that will work perfectly. I actually got a wireless powerline adapter to supply the wifi to it and put it right out by the panel, works great. 👍

[@Driftn09]

Why do you have so many wire nuts in your panel and excess wire??

[@HowToHomeDIY]

Connected to my transfer switch.

[@ricksherman34]

My power company tells me every 30 min on their online app what the previous days power was. So if you know when you were cooking , running laundry , or using the dishwasher , or watching TV with a little bit of homework it becomes easy to track solar output vs total power draw from each appliance. ( AC is 6kW, Dryer is 6kW, oven 4kW etc .. ) So I see this as a waste of $300. ( I really wanted to buy it, but for me the payoff from "savings" would be like 20+ yrs.)

[@chucktrotter9699]

3.7.21 Adam, Question: Can the red and black power wires be connected to 2 single pole 15amp breakers each one being on a different 120 volt line? I have no room in my power panel for the 15amp double pole 240 volt breaker. Thanks for the video.

[@HowToHomeDIY]

I can only go back to what the instructions say which are that they recommend it be on it's own double pole breaker but that it can be attached to or you can piggyback another 15 amp double pole breaker in your panel if there is no room for another designated breaker. I hope this helps!

[@onlywenilaugh6589]

Since the double pole is just connecting to both sides, then I don't see why using a single on each side would not work.

[@rafaelbryant5418]

@@onlywenilaugh6589 You would need to use breakers on top of one another. Breakers directly across from one another are on the same leg/phase. You need to measure both legs which is why a double pole breaker is suggested.

[@blulakota1337]

technically that would work, but it introduces an unknown variable that could turn into a big problem. if there were a fault you would have two paths that could potentially feed the faulted circuit. keep in mind that whatever else is on those two circuits would have the potential to be connected though the device itself, if it were to fail, as well as have more avaliable fault current. that increases the odds for a fire to occur.

[@manclt704]

Yes, instead of a double pole 240v breaker, you may use two single pole 120v breakers but make sure each single pole breaker is of opposite pole (phase) normally if you come vertically top to bottom then every 2nd single pole breaker would be opposite to the first breaker.

[@onlywenilaugh6589]

All your data is stored on AWS servers. Guess they will have lots of data on the devices people have in their houses, for better or worse. Would be nice if it had a non cloud option to keep my data local.

[@311badfish]

Yeah. Not worried if people know I run a blender. Not a crucial piece of data that needs to be encrypted.

[@thesupergamermario3701]

Hello. What if you have 2 breaker boxes?

[@manclt704]

You may just need to install this in the first main breaker box, it will sense the appliances itself from the sub-panel

[@markjching]

I tried using a 15a tandem circuit breaker but sense didn't like that

[@manclt704]

Tandem are single pole (phase) 120v breakers, while sense needs double pole 240v breaker. (however you may use 2 opposite single pole or tandem breakers)

[@markjching]

@@manclt704 what’s your sense of sense in terms of accuracy? It seems to have difficulties with detecting appliances or is this a signature from appliances issue?

[@seantellsit1431]

seems very odd to install the sense on a double breaker. If its a standard 120v product, then the hot would get connected to the hot and the neutral would go on the neutral bar.

[@HowToHomeDIY]

Ok so I installed this about a year and a half ago so I had forgotten all of the specifics of it but I just refreshed my memory. So yes, the electrodes on the mains are what are monitoring the power consumption on each leg. Per Sense, the reason they want it on a double pole breaker is "it still needs to monitor the voltage across both phases (A & B) of the panel. For that reason, we always recommend installing on the smallest 240V/dual-pole breaker available." I hope this helps!

[@manclt704]

The way the Sense power cord is designed, only the black wire out of the pair of red and black hot wires carries current, so one complete circuit is formed by it and the neural. The Sense can power on and technically function without the red wire in place. However, the red wire needs to be connected to the opposite phase of a split phase panel to sample the voltage and see the wave offset. This is necessary to calculate accurate wattage on the -120V phase and for the device detection algorithms to work appropriately.

[@_Moto215]

I don’t understand how it would know a toaster from a curling iron.

[@HowToHomeDIY]

Different signatures when they start and when they run.

[@telhack693]

Maybe maybe maybe. But I like gadgets

[@davidfurst7233]

Instructions on the install was very good. Instructions on setting up the app and how it is used were terrible.

[@HowToHomeDIY]

Hey David, I didn’t include instructions on how to setup the app. The app will walk you through step by step just asking you to input your information to setup your account. Very easy. I just did a brief overview on what kind of information the device gives you, otherwise the video would be an hour long and with it being a new install you won’t have a whole lot of data until it’s been installed a few weeks. My main focus was the install and brief overview. I appreciate your feedback and if you have any questions about any of it feel free to shoot them to me here.

[@invis7150]

Does it actually name a device or do you give it a name?

[@HowToHomeDIY]

It varies. If it is 100% sure of what it is then it will assign a name. If it is uncertain but has an idea what the device is, it will give you options as to what it thinks it may be and a percentage of what certainty it has and then you select which one it actually is. And if it has no idea exactly what it is then it will come up as heat 1 for example because it is sensing a heat element or light 1 because the wattage is mimicking a light, then you will just have to figure out which one it is and then you can name it what you like. But it does always give you some sort of idea at least what it is sensing. I hope this helps!

[@invis7150]

Thanks for your information, I just ordered one from Amazon. Electric company is always sending me letters that I’m over usage compared to my neighbors. I expect that because I have 2 sump pumps that activate about 3 times a minute, I’m on a high water table. I would like to make the rest of my house as conservative as possible. I appreciate your help.

[@10AF22]

Least useful video on the sense so far.

[@HowToHomeDIY]

Least insightful comment on the sense so far.

[@williamhoodtn]

Please wear gloves when "pointing" without really looking at the main input leads for safety sake. Otherwise, you could have a very bad day!

[@HowToHomeDIY]

Hey William, rest assured, the power was shut off outside at the meter so those service lines had no juice and the camera angle makes my fingers look much closer than they were. But a very good point. Wearing gloves is a really good safety tip when dealing with live or potentially live wires. Thank you William for "pointing" that out!

[@rwgreene999]

It is just too bad that they provide more options on the phone app than the web screen. Personally I don't wander around looking at my phone all the time. And I find that taking my eyes away from a pair of 24-in high-def monitors to look at a 6-in screen is disgusting. Also I work from tablets when I'm reading books and things like that. Again why would I want to find a phone just to do options that they didn't bother to provide in more convenient means. So I guess I'll pass on this since they're such lazy programmers.

[@tooshieg2059]

Dude, deliver content first then ask for the sub.

[@HowToHomeDIY]

Lol thanks for the comment.

[@MichelLinschoten]

Actually our electric company has a rather comprehensive app that shows what draws power most ... Cost me 0

[@HowToHomeDIY]

Cool