Room power monitoring options? (UK)

General Discussion
#1

Hey guys,

I’m new to all this HA stuff but I have been looking for a way to monitor power usage for a room with 3 double sockets.
I would like to have the units hidden or not removable from the walls.

I have obviously found these… (but are removable)
Aeotec Smart Switch 6

I have also seen these… (but these are just hidden relays)
Fibaro FGS-222 Dual Relay Switch

I have also found these… (but these seem like overkill)
Heavy Duty Smart Switch Gen5

If anyone has any experience or advice, please help :slight_smile:

#2

I think I have found what I need…

Aeotec Micro Smart Switch

If I’m reading this right I can install this behind each socket.

Anyone tried these?

#3

You can’t use these behind a double socket. These switches are rated at 10 amp. You can draw up to 26 amps from a double socket, and the circuit the sockets are on will be protected with a 32 amp breaker.

#4

Yeah, that was my thought too!

You will fall foul of UK electrical regulations if you try to install any 10A-rated relay behind a 13A socket. The potential solutions I can think of are:

  • Use a relay that has a higher rating that the socket in front of it (i.e. 13/26Amp). E.g. the Heavy Duty Switch. This has the disadvantage that the button on the socket will operate independently of the relay.
  • Use a 10Amp relay, but change the wall sockets to UK 3A or 5A sockets (these have round pins and commonly used for lighting). Example. But this is undesirable as nearly everything will have 13A plugs.
  • Alter your ring-main to create a new ring circuit just for the room you want to monitor. You could then use either a clamp monitor (e.g. The Aeon HEM) or a DIN rail device (example).
  • Use Lightwave RF sockets, then create a bridge between LightWaveRF and SmartThings. The disadvantage being that any bridge will add some delay and unreliability, plus LightWaveRF devices are aesthetically appalling. :mask:

It really is frustrating that there isn’t a z-wave or zigbee socket outlet currently available in the UK! :disappointed:

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