My Sense Home Energy Monitor Paid For Itself
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- čas přidán 28. 06. 2024
- I installed the Sense home energy monitor over a year ago in my home and decided I should share my thoughts, who this device is for, what my experiences are using it. Although the platform has been totally stable, detection isn't as fast as I'd hoped it would be. One of the things this device does is detect drain, or always on, devices. If you pay attention to this and do some work with it, you should be able to reduce your total home energy consumption, saving you money on your power bill, and pay for the initial investment of buying the device.
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Sense Monitor - amzn.to/3oHCNUA
Sense add on Clamps - amzn.to/3wXNLZN
Sense Compatible Smart Plug KP-115 - amzn.to/3oHD7CM
Sense Compatible Power Bar HS300 - amzn.to/2YVgXUK
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Chapters
0:00 - Intro
0:21 - Always On
0:50 - Accuracy Of Monitoring
1:07 - Trend Power Graph
1:34 - Solar Power Clamps
2:06 - Monthly Report
2:28 - Detection of Devices
3:06 - App Error
3:38 - Overall Thoughts
4:05 - Should You Get It?
4:42 - Another Monitor?
5:15 - Who Is It For?
5:44 - Installation Thoughts
6:13 - Bubbles Sooner
6:52 - Is It Worth It? - Jak na to + styl
Don't underestimate the value of simply having data at your fingertips.
If I add the Sense or the Emporia systems or similar, then every new action I take in the home will become visible. Replace the HVAC, see the result. Replace the bathroom fans, and see the result. New, more "efficient" appliances like a dishwasher, range, or whatever, believe it or not, see the result!
Great content. I was looking for something to show me a bit about the Sense UI as I'm trying to decide on something like the Sense or something slightly more invasive like the Emporia which wants individual circuit clamps. The UI is important because it helps or hinders your ability to understand what's going on post-install.
This video provided me with the answer to my question concerning the time involved and value of a given monitoring system, as I am on the market shopping for one.
I'm glad it helped it you out, thanks for taking the time to comment, it's appreciated.
Thanks for sharing. Looks like a great device.
Thanks for taking the time to comment Ron
House Dad! Many thanks for your helpful video. I am also impress by people like you who go the extra mile sharing their knowledge and time. It's really pretty cool. I have a on ground mount solar array (10.82kVA) that what installed in 2029. I'm trying to install a system that alerts me when the solar array isn't generating energy as well as monitor our split ac to strike a balance between when to use OIL and when to use surplus ELECTRICITY from our net monitoring arrangement with Eversource, CT's energy supplier. Again, THANKS!!
correction, 2019, not 2029!
Thanks for vote. It is really rewarding hearing feedback from viewers like yourself, welcome to the channel.
I've thought about getting an array myself but really don't have the real estate for it. I've thought about a tesla roof as that would really work well on my home but the cost is too high for it to make it worthwhile at the moment.
The sense would be nice in your setup to let you see exactly what's coming in from the solar panels. Unfortunately as of right now it doesn't tie in with my home automation at least not to my knowledge.
If Sense has not "figured out the algorithm" by now, they're not going to figure it out. This product is in maintenance mode and they're not going to deliver compelling new functionality without taking another $400+.
Love your video. A few questions about Sense. 1-When Sense starts identifying objects does it create aa bubble? 2-When Sense guesses at a device, how did you go about verifying what the device actually is? 3-Do you have to add all the "Always on" components manually, or will Sense add them as they are used? Thanks
It takes a while to identify items, and sometimes it takes a bit to properly locate the device it found. As for the always on, it does that automatically after it runs for a while.
Wow, that is impressive. I like it when a plan comes together. Very useful. I rate this content a SMASH!
Thanks for taking the time to stop in comment and smash!!!
That shorting extension cord I would expect it to be getting how
It wasn't fully shorted over, but enough to draw 80w, if memory serves me correctly, of electricity consumption. I can't remember if it was warm or hot, but not enough current was used to throw the breaker.
We're going to buy one and I had one question. You say you put the solar clamps on your computer setup and your hydroponics. Are those clamps wired all the way back to the Sense box in the breaker, or is it just clamping them onto specific breakers? Wondering if I should buy the pack with extra clamps depending on how the setup of the additional clamps is. I told my electrical engineer father about this product years ago and finally getting him interested in getting one!
They are just additional clamps that you can choose to put on any breaker inside the panel.
A few questions. The sense device must connect to your house wifi? Does it ever notify you of firmware updates over the wifi? Also it looks like Sense sells 3 different versions. Standard version with 1 pair of current transformers. Also a backup generator version with 2 pairs of current transformers, and another solar version with 2 pairs of current transformers. What is the difference between the generator and solar versions? Can you help sense identify the bubbles by giving them labels and pairing them together?
You must connect to the home wifi, to connect to the device and for updates. As far as I know the units are all the same. The clamps just allow you to pick any 2 wires and monitor them. As far as devices you can make them and put components together. Like a compressor and a light in a refrigerator.
Can you manually program or identify items? Or do you have to rely soley on the algorithm?
You need to wait for the device to detect them.
I already have a bunch of the kasa KP-115 plugs, do you have any further info about how they integrate with the Sense?
You can control them on the Sense app, and they will display always on power consumption the next day. You also don't lose functionality with other home automaton. Hopefully that helps.
@@HouseDadLife Thanks!
Good to know Anthony, thanks for sharing.
Nice review. It’s my first time on your page. Are you a chimera?
Thanks for leaving a comment, and honestly I have no idea. I had to Google the term.
@@HouseDadLife I dunno if your eyes have different colors. You’re basically two people in one. A twin in one body, if you will.
A few people on the channel have noticed and commented, that remark is a new one!
So how's this device now that it has been a year?
I'm looking into getting a home energy monitoring system because my electric company is claiming I'm using more power then I actually am ( I believe ). I use everything off peak hours for the most part and I don't have anything running really other then the obvious refrigerator, laundry machines, dish washer and stove plugged. I have my central air running but at 80 degrees for the most part yet still some how my usage doubles if not triple's in use even though I'm barely running anything. I'm looking to get a monitor cause I feel like their just stealing & cheeating.
The reason you have for wanting one is exactly the same as mine. My unit is still going strong, no problems to speak of. The biggest advantage you'll find is you'll know where you are using power, this was a big money saver for me, 16 months and mine paid for itself, now I'm saving money every month just because I eliminated phantom power draws. I would do it again without hesitation. Good luck.
I get that there's homeowner intrigue and fascination to invest in some smart home products like these, and while I do think it's a cool product, I don't think it's a very needed product for most homeowners. Even my electricity provider has recently replaced meters in my neighborhood to smart meters, so I can view my daily electricity usage making the basic Sense product kind of useless. (although their upgraded option with more sensors for branch circuits is cool)
There's data published by the US Department of Energy that shows that something like 40%-50% of electrical consumption in the US is by electric motors. What does this mean in the residential setting? Your air handler, heat pump, outdoor condenser unit. I bet another 25-40% of energy consumption is by water heaters, ovens, dryers, and the last 10-15% by branch circuits for lighting and receptacles.
Sure a homeowner who has an obsession over data and smarthome upgrades would find this product useful, but there's better bang for your buck to focus on major systems upgrades that are more energy efficient and also upgrading your home's air sealing/building envelope, attic/basement insulation, and insulation on hot water pipes.
You could get this device for intrigue, but I think where this thing shines is for monitoring power consumption and eliminating phantom loads. I did exactly that, and I would have never found them without it. Granted it took a while but it was under 2 years and it paid for itself in part savings. Thinking about it, I might have been able to do the same using a multimeter, but it was a very easy experience that I would be happy to repeat if I move, I'll just take it with me.
@@HouseDadLife yeah I can actually see it being very useful for that situation. I guess you can treat it like another useful tool to keep in your toolbox that you can take with you wherever you go.
How is your consumption so low? My house is just under 800sf and my usage is double yours.
This was literally the reason I got this thing. I found a ton of phantom draws using it. See what you can do czcams.com/video/EHSkdOpr1rY/video.html hope that helps you lower your consumption
You're two people in one
Eye see what you did there
BE WARNED!
This device does not include the Other and Always On usage in its calculation of your monthly bill. When I contacted the company they told me this since I was wondering why my electric bill was higher than the projected usage bill. This month my electric bill is $301 and the app usage says it should be $187. I have had this installed since Feb 2022 and it is now 30 Sep 2022. The Other made up 48.6% and Always On made up 13.7% of last month's bill and are not used in the monthly bill calculation. If 62.3% of the usage is not calculated in the monthly bill I would suggest to NOT buy this product if you plan on tracking your usage for comparing to your actual bill. Also be warned it could take years for the device to identify every item in your house if it can even find them all.
I'm not sure where you are looking but this is definitely not what I see. I just compared my most recent bill, it had a usage of 1812 where as sense showed a usage of 1783 for the same dates for a difference of 29. Although not perfect this only shows an error rate of 1.6% which is more than close enough for me. You are correct with detection taking a great deal of patience though.