Good question! I don't know.
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rocco
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Guys,
After a few emails to http://www.theenergydetective.com , this sounds pretty good to me as far as ease of installation goes. The pictures do not show a way to interface this with a PC but my last email to Dolph when as follows:
I asked :
Dolph,
Will the device have a PC interface? I'm on a home automation bulletin board and there are dozens of us interested in a device such as yours but only if we can monitor the device with our home automation programs and then have our intelligent controllers act accordingly.
Good Evening Mr. Hughes,
Yes, we have designed a PC interface into the hardware, and are working on the software to allow TED to communicate with a PC for load shedding, historical data display, automatic download of utility rate structures from the internet and possibly tools for communication directly with your Utility. We hope to have this program ready in the 3rd quarter.
Hope it will be JUST what you're looking for....!
Regards,
Dolph RodenbergLast edited by Rupp; February 4, 2005, 11:53 AM.
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Rupp,
I am confused about your post. The reply you quoted from Dolph mentions "TED". It appears that TED is from http://www.theenergydetective.com/, but you indicated the email came from http://www.energymonitor.com/. Are they the same company? It seems unusual to refer to a competitors product.
I Googled "Dolph Rodenberg" since it is an unusual name and he seems to be from Mt Pleasant SC, which is where TED is from.
I contacted the energymonitor folks to see about a serial port, so I will see what kind of reply I get.
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Originally posted by melkatiPeter,
I just received the meter. Looks good :-)
How do you extract the data from the database do the charts?
Will you share the scripts and asp code with us, please?
Thanks.
Mario.
PeterAttached FilesLast edited by peterpc; February 4, 2005, 03:00 PM.
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Rupp,
Interesting little device - you didn't happen to squeeze any pricing info out of them, did you? I have to wonder when the only pages a google search turns up are all pages referring to the T.E.D. as a "sponsored link". If this sucker's for sale anywhere, they're keeping it a closely guarded secret...
Michael and rocco,
In my initial enthusiasm, I overlooked the price of the current transformers. That translates into a bit more than a 50% increase in the cost to use, which puts it into the "ouch!" budget range. Especially since I'd also have to be adding in the counter hardware (granted, this would be an inexpensive 1-wire counter module, but still). The price is still reasonable, but a bit more than I'm willing to go for without some more research.
Michael,
Are you sure about which unit you were checking out? The only $200 units I see (actually $195 but what's five bucks at this level) are for 3-phase units. The single-phase unit (for 2 or 3 wire setups) is $160. But then I still need 2x transformers at $44 (200A model split core), and of course the counter module. Looks like AAG has a ready-made 1-wire counter for about $30. Still, that's only a little shy of $300 when all's said and done...
Sigh...
Jerry
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I was only ballparking the cost and through in shipping and other little things that always seem to be needed put it into operation. $300 vs. $350 is effectivley the same for a buy/no-buy decision. In my county the electrical code does not allow any connections inside the breaker panel other than those to the breakers themselves and no other equipment can be embedded in the panel. This means that a safe mechanism is needed to route the wires outside the panel. Mine is in a finished area so this type of retrofit is not trivial. It may be a good idea to disconnect the power when messing around trying to get the transformers installed. Since this is upstream of the main breaker the power company will need to dispatch someone to pull the meter or disconnect the feed power. Service calls are not cheap.
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Michael,
Now I understand. Given your situation, I wonder if you might even be underestimating the total cost.
My setup is a little easier. The main panel is actually located in the crawlspace (which is 7 feet tall at that end of the house), and is actually bolted to the foundation blocks. Adding a subpanel, running new circuits, etc, is so simple that I tend to forget that most people have a far more finished setup.
That said, I also understand about the relative price difference not affecting the purchase decision. Unless, of course, I'm trying really hard to justify something to my self that I don't need, but really want.
On the cheap end of the spectrum, I'm fairly confident that I can build a device to bounce a beam off of the wheel in the utility's meter. On the other hand, I'd much rather avoid trying to convince said utility that I'm not trying to build something to cheat them. To say that I live in outer RedNeckVille would be something of an understatement...
Well, the investigation continues...
Jerry
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Originally posted by melkatiThanks!
I hope to receive next week the 1-wire counter board from AAG and start the project.
I use this:
http://www.midondesign.com/TEMP08/TEMP08.html
Peter
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