Energy monitoring

Questions & Help
1

Hi everyone,

I’m looking for a smart wall plug that can read the powerlevel and energy consumption in Real-time.

INNR’s SP120 does read and relay this data, but the fastest update frequency available is ‘30 seconds’ (not seconds: Update: I thought they weren’t, but appearently they are) which is nice for a monthly or annual overview graph.

But I want to monitor at what exact time (to the second) a device started to consume power, and at what time it stopped again, and off course how much power it consumed. So I need a bit better data…

Anyone suggestions or experience as to which device can do that?

There’s a lot offered on the Great Wide Web, and a lot of devices promise to monitor energy consumption. But they never specify the update frequency.

So I’m kinda lost, maybe the community can help?

2

Shelly as nice ones.

3

To be honest, I never heard of power monitoring smart sockets that don’t provide real-time updates, at least for actual power usage (Watt).

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4

For real-time monitoring without information loss the sample frequency shall be twice the highest frequency of the signal to be measured. So at least 100 Hertz. :grin:
If you don’t take in to account harmonic frequencies.
Any way it is nice to know the sample frequency. Once a second seems enough for me.

5

What do you mean, 30 times per second?

6

Doesn’t really make sense that it doesn’t provide real-time usage, the device is capable of it:

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(Innr SP 120 control via MQTT | Zigbee2MQTT)

7

For the time being “instantaneously “ seems fast enough. Then it depends on how fast you read/store this (published) value. The faster you read it, the more CPU and memory load will cost it. Or just log the power changes.
Maybe @Menne_Talsma can elaborate a little more about his requirements and use case? Maybe he wants to calibrate something?:wink:

8

In the advanced settings of the (INNR sp120) device i can set the Report interval between 86400 and 30. What the units are is not specified. My first thought was: “that must be seconds, but it’s not…

It’s now on 30 and takes about a minute and a half to refresh/update consumption levels.

9

I have seen the figure 86400 more often with time settings, and then it was in seconds.
86400 seconds happens to be 24 hours. So it might be seconds.
My experience with time settings on sensors, that they are not always obeyed.

10

@Rmb
Several purposes.

  1. To make dumb devices Smart:
    When I turn on my table-saw. (So when the device starts to use power) I would like the sawdust vacuum system to turn on.

  2. To keep power consumption within a group under 3800W:
    Due to some old wiring I my house, the boyler, the washer and dryer are one the same group. When either the washer or dryer is in use (using power), i would like the boyler to stay off for a while. So the circuit-breaker won’t flip-off. I want this As a failsafe for when i forget to turn the boyler off manually.

3 monitoring an fiddling around.
I wanna monitor how much power my heatpumps/airco’s are consuming in different settings… this is easier when power readout is realtime.

I can tink of some more…

11

@rmb

Thanks! At least one mistery solved.
I couldn’t figure out what the number 86400 stood for.

(Deviding it by 60 did not reveal anything :sweat_smile:)

12

In case 1 and 2 use the following way of thinking
WHEN power has changed
AND power > 10 (ideally 0, but just in case )
THEN switch on vacuum system

The trigger „power had changed“ is quite fast, just try it by switching on a lamp.

13

It’s interesting what some users are discussing here when they themselves have no experience with the INNR SP120 on a Homey.
In this topic (German language) I was looking for a smart plug for a mini PV (600 W). Firstly, not every smart plug is suitable for measuring a mini PV, and secondly, some smart plugs don’t provide live data, including the SP120 from INNR (interval at least 30 seconds).

@Menne_Talsma, I can confirm that the Aeotec Smart Plug 6 & 7 and the Wall Plug from Fibaro, all Z-Wave wireless technology, provide “real time measurement”. However, the interval depends on some settings that you can make on all 3 smart plugs (please have a look into the manuals).

14

Thanks but I know the logic of it, I know how to create the flow. That is not my Problem.

My Problem is the update frequency of the INNR SP120… it takes the device (or the app) 1,5 minute to notice (or to relay) the power consumption.

The ‘Lag’ is just to long /unreliable

By that time I’m done sawing and turning on the vacuum is abundant.

I need a device which relays this data in real time. So that the moment Device A consumes more power than X i can trigger a flow with that…

15

Thanks so much for these tips.

I will look into both the Fibaro and the Aotec option.

16

That is very strange. It should be instanteniously. Did you built and test such a flow?
Because there are 2 triggers. When power in Watt has changed and when Energy has changed in KWh. You need the first one.

(Innr SP120 Energie meting)

17

I have no experience with sockets, but I understand the socket from HomeWizard does this. I use the P1 energy from that company and really like it.

18

There are many smart plugs which provides live data. The INNR Smart Plug is one of the exceptions. Other exceptions:
Blitzwolf BW-SHP13: 10 second interval
NEO Coolcam Power Plug V2: 30 seconds interval
(Source)

However, the P1 Energy Meter is not a smart plug and is designed for a completely different purpose. Theoretically, it could therefore be that the Energy Socket from HomeWizard does also not transmit live data, but I don’t know.

19

@DirkG

Thanks!

Which one(s) of the live-data Smartplugs do you use/prefer?

Fibaro, Aeotec other(s)

20

Currently only Fibaro wall plugs and the one INNR SP120. In the past I used 2 Aeotec Smart Switch 6 for the washing machine and dryer. However, I replaced these with the Fibaro Walli Outlet for visual reasons.

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