Energy usage clamp meters
Energy usage clamp meters
As I'm currently doing a re-wire, it's a great opportunity for me to put some metering in the house.
I'm single-phase, but I plan to monitor multiple sections of the house, which are each wired for 100A independently.
I'm currently eyeing up either the Shelly Pro 3EM – 120A or the 50A.
As it will fit nicely in the consumer unit, and supports Ethernet.
I previously looked at the Aeotec clamp devices, but they seem to be difficult to find with multiple 100A connectors.
Emporia Vue was also a consideration, but I'm always a little hesitant to buy products that require custom firmware to even work properly, when others are available. And I'd also like to avoid using 2.4Ghz wifi for connectivity.
I'd love to hear any experiences people have had with similar devices, good or bad. And how the integration with HA went.
Late to this one, but check out Open Energy Monitor
They have a main unit which can have multiple clamps on (upto 200A) and also remote units if your power distribution is scattered all over the place.
I've been using their older EmonPi for years, ever since I added in SolarPV and it's now linked into Home Assistant so that I can start turning things on & off when I have excess solar energy... not to mention managing the costs.
That's a good shout, I'd forgotten about them.
Pricey, but a very ground-up open solution. Not sure if I can stomach £350 for a pi and clamps right now!
No, that's a fair point. I bought the earlier EmonPi (1), which only has grid + solar CT clamps... looks like EmonPi2 has more by default.
But, my unit has been totally reliable, inc. many harsh powercuts, so it's a long term purchase.
I have the Shelly Pro 3EM 120A and I have nothing but good things to say about it, installation is easy if you know what you're doing, integration with HA was trivial and it's very customizable. Before purchasing it I was worried about the update frequency of the values, but I was happy to see that it updates about a couple times per second, which is great. I'm happy to answer any questions you might have!
I'm using off-the shelf CT-clamps with an ESP. Obviously it's a fair amount more work, but it's cheaper than a commercial solution, fully offline and no subscriptions, you know exactly what you are getting, and you can build a solution that is just the right size for your application, and infinitely modifiable if your needs change.
This is something I’ve looked into in the past as well and with about 35 circuits to monitor, the Vue seems like a good one and done solution except it’s way too small, AND there’s mucking about with firmware which I’m none too excited about. I’m waiting for something better.
Shelly, if you're listening: Smart RCBOs would be interesting to explore.
As would a product that can handle, say, 16 clamps, and you buy the clamps separately.