I switched to this device type a couple of days ago, and have fallen in love with my HEMv1 all over again.
Thank you for your work on it!
I switched to this device type a couple of days ago, and have fallen in love with my HEMv1 all over again.
Thank you for your work on it!
@darkoperator, technically kind of⊠There are only a few places where the code for new tile format could easily be copied over to the device type of the HEMv2. What device type are you using - a community version or STâs? Let me know cause the changes are pretty easy to make, and I can take a shot at it.
Iâm using a community one, for some reason having problems after the latest upgrade where the hub stops receiving data until I reset the device. been using this one https://github.com/SANdood/Aeon-HEM-v2/blob/master/Aeon%20HEMv2.groovy
So, a quick question to everyone who is using this device - how are you using it? Although I understand why someone might have it, what is the benefit of integrating it into ST? Maybe I missed some ideas earlier in the thread.
would like to know the same.
I was going to use it as a laundry monitor; havenât figured it out. I read that wash/dryer users 120v/240v and the single outlet monitor only is rated for 120v. so you can only monitor one of the two. Thought the HEM would be better.
HEM it is meant to monitor your entire home not a specific device. I use it to monitor use and estimate what my power bill will be. Live in PR so power is super expensive here.
As @darkoperator said, it is meant for monitoring overall power usage at the home.
I connected it to our panel and added it to SmartThings, and then over the last several weeks I have used it to determine what is using the most power in the house by gradually shutting things off or unplugging them.
Doing this has shown me why my power bill is as high as it is each month, and Iâve used that information to help me reduce overall power use at home by shutting things off.
Normally, I leave multiple computers running at home, and connect to them during the day for testing connections to work websites when making changes in the office. But I found that all of my systems together were using 1kW or more together.
Now I shut them all down, and use a Raspberry Pi with a webserver on it that sends Wake on LAN packets to any PC I need.
Ten seconds later, that PC is awake and I can test what I need to, then the system goes back to sleep and my power usage drops.
My first power bill after changing these settings and making some other tweaks dropped by 45%.
Also, I use a website called PlotWatt for long term graphing of my power in the home.
The image below is the trend in my home from 12AM on August 1st through the 17th of August.
I was running consistently higher, with an average of 3.5kw in use at all times in the home.
We discovered the fridge was one of the main culprits using this meter and graph, and I pulled the fridge to discover the coils needed cleaning.
Once I cleaned them, power usage on the fridge dropped by almost 70%, it was running that poorly.
How do you connect to Plotwatt? It looks commercial, canât tell what connections they have on the website.
Yes, the long term logging seemed to make senseâŠwhich is why I was confused about adding it into ST since that is not available. Basically, I look at this like the way I look at Nest. I get all my data from Nest. At the moment, I do have them integrated so they can change from away to home, but that is it.
I just didnât see any benefit to having the energy monitors in ST and was looking for some use case examples.
Check this out. Power Meter Logging SmartApps (PlotWatt, ThingSpeak, SmartEnergyGroups)
@brianlees, the long term logging is definitely beneficial in many ways.
I love seeing data like this in an easy to use and understand format. It makes it easier for me to monitor various home functions.
Unfortunately, I donât have a means of integrating the Nest Protects in a useful manner, every time I try, it causes my ST app to crash once I add the first Nest Protect. I donât use the Nest thermostats, as we only have boiler baseboard heat and no AC in the home. So, like you, I get all of my Nest data direct from the Nest app.
The HEM unit does definitely have a use within the ST universe, just not as active a use as Iâd eventually like to see.
With some plug in energy monitoring appliance modules you can trigger an alert when power usage rises on that module, or when it drops in the event of say, the washing machine finishing itâs cycle.
I havenât found a good use case for the HEM units to provide that level of alerting, as it is monitoring the entire home instead of an individual appliance or circuit.
Down the road, Iâd like to add one of the multi-circuit Z-Wave monitors that checks each individual circuit and calculates usage on a per circuit level.
I use the power meter to tell me if I left a light on or a PC. If the minimum power exceeds 365W then I know to look around to turn it off.
Mainly for monitoring power usage over time as I swap out to LEDâs and automate lighting, and a little fun factor. AND, to catch the builder next to my house stealing my power instead of using his own drop while weâre away from the house.
I second plotwatt. In addition to using the Hemv1 with SmartThings to better estimate overall power usage & cost for the month, I also log the data automatically (every 20 seconds) at PlotWatt. After a few weeks of usage, Plotwatt was able to break out the following âappliancesâ from my monthly total power draw:
âHeating
âAlways on
âLights
âDryers
âOther
As it progresses, itâs supposed to learn additional appliances. I guess time will tell, but so far it has been pretty accurate.
Thanks-
Derek
Iâm looking to purchase a HEM v1, I have a couple questions:
Can I install the clamps before my main âservice disconnectâ circuit breaker? See the attached pictures. Those cables that Iâve highlighted are coming in from my outdoor meter to my garage. From there, they split off into 2 main service disconnect breakers, each one then feeds into my house and powers a circuit breaker panel that controls various areas of my house. So can I just buy 1 HEM kit and clamp them on the mains coming in, before the main service disconnect breakers?
If so, do I really need to turn off the power before installing because I donât have a way to interrupt that power, unless Iâm missing something outside of my house near my meter.
Is it obvious which clamp needs to go on which cable?
Thanks in advance for any help.
It doesnât matter which clamp on which cable. You have two phases of power, which are usually distributed evenly throughout the house and are combined for any 220v appliances (electric stove, dryer, car charger).
I think it may matter which âdirectionâ the coil faces, but the clamps arenât labeled top / bottom / in / out
, so maybe not. Just try to have them both face the same way (i.e., have the bottoms with the wire on it both on the âincomingâ side of the power mains).
Shutting of the Main Breaker of the circuit box helps to keep you away from any shocks due to loose wires of any of your individual circuits.
You are correct, however, that those two power cables that you actually will be putting the coils around, probably do not have a user disconnect; so these will be live. I presume there may be some place these can be decoupled, but possibly only by the power company.
The second picture seems to show that you have Service Disconnect Breakers â I wish I did! You appear to be in a very safe configuration for this installation.
But if you are aware these could be live cables (and are also aware of everything youâve cut with breakers ⊠but still be cautious), then you can deal with these just very carefully.
(i.e., handle only by the insulation, wear insulated gloves and shoes, if one gets loose, stop and reconnect it â donât let it short with some other metal in or around the box, etc.).
Well, the cables coming in to this box come from outside and feed into those Service Disconnect Breakers. So I have easy access to the main wires before they feed into the Service Disconnect Breakers. Sounds like I can do what I was hoping to do. I prefer this because I can buy just one HEM unit and monitor there, instead of buying 2 and having 1 installed in each Service Disconnect breaker box.
Yup⊠Sounds right. I only have one breaker box which handles both phases, so hard for me to compare. Feel free to send more pictures if you get stuck.
Your electric company power meter is outside the house?
Is it possible to use this device (HEM v1) to detect a power outage? Because it has batteries as well as AC options, I thought maybe a smart app out there could notify you if your main power is out (similar to what theyâve done with a SmartThings Motions Sensor v1 device).
I think so. I may have to double check.
Sure⊠As long as the batteries still kick-in if USB is plugged in. Heck, it might even manage to send a Z-Wave event of the drop in power usage before the wall-wort drainsâŠ
To me, that would almost be as useful as the main purpose this device serves of collecting energy usage! Has anybody successfully implemented this? (Iâm sure if it can be done, it already has been).