Progress Update
It’s going well. I managed to divert my attention to some other challenges whilst the necessary duration of testing goes on. A couple more days should see it done!
Energy Tab
Not sure there are many users for this in the UK. The major block is the inability to get prices registered in the UK. Why on earth Athom have not done the logical thing which is “hey there’s a capability over there, that’s the price, plug that value into Energy calcuations”… I have no idea.
When looking at it at first (and indeed second), the whole mess of data and symbols was hopelessly confusing. Magic numbers seemed to be springing out of the woodwork all over the place. It’s not helped by the fact that the Energy Tab samples data relatively infrequently so peaks and troughs in the data are often missed. This makes it hard to relate the data displayed to the data in the capabilities of the devices.
In the end I went for the analytic approach. I excluded everything from Energy. A blank energy tab. That’s a start at least.
Which Kraken device makes the most sense to put in the Energy Tab - the Energy Account was the choice. It’s set up to be the “master of the grid energy universe” - essentially tracking ALL grid energy coming in (and going out, too). I understand that other devices that take load “deduct” this energy from that provided by the Grid Master.
Here’s my really simple Energy Tab since finishing the wiring up at about 8:30 this morning (when the graph starts moving). At that time there was a moment of import - after that everything has been export:
Notes:
- The number above the roof (-4.9kWh) is the amount of energy today (negative for export)
- The “pill” under the house is the Octopus Account device showing flow of power (-1.9kW)
- The green flash on the pill shows export (blue for import)
- The equation is Import Energy Today - Export Energy Today = Net Energy Today
- The graph shows rate of power flow over time (export below the X-axis)
Setting It Up
This functionality IS NOT IN Version 1.2.3 or Version 1.2.4 - you need to wait for the next release, hopefully in a few days.
When you install you will need to ensure that the energy settings for all your Kraken Devices are set correctly. They are probably pretty random right now (because so far it hasn’t mattered). On the webapp right click on a device and choose settings. Scroll down until you see Energy.
On mobile app long click on a device to view the capabilities, use the cog-wheel, top-right, to get to settings. Now choose Advanced Settings to see the Energy settings.
For IMPORT TARIFF, EXPORT TARIFF and SMART ENERGY DEVICE Homey devices the required Energy Settings are:
- Tracks total home energy consumption: No
- Exclude from Energy: Yes
All of the energy tab functionality is supported by the ENERGY ACCOUNT device, the required Energy Settings are:
- Tracks total home energy consumption: Yes
- Exclude from Energy: No
Trying any other combination of settings will likely upset the Energy tab and create a really confusing display.
Confusing Data
When I first looked at the Energy Tab it was horribly confusing. The ONLY way I could get to understand it was to go back to first principles and exclude everything before re-adding stuff in a very controlled fashion. You might want to do the same to convince yourself that you are seeing sensible data!
Please remember, I am not responsible for the mess that other devices from other apps make of the Energy tab. It seems to be a bit like the wild-west out there. But Kraken behaves 
.
My Bottom Line
“Well, it’s a pretty picture, but I’m not sure at adds any value…”
