I’m looking for advice on creating a flow in Homey that triggers based only on the grid power imported, specifically to ensure I stay under my 35A main fuse limit. Currently, the ‘Power becomes greater than’ trigger includes solar and battery production, which doesn’t isolate the grid import.It also need to check for rapid spikes accuring to protect my 35amp main fuse from tripping
Thank you
Homey is a (sometimes very unreliable) gadget, aimed at controlling your lights; It certainly is not a professional realtime controller.
I can’t imagine it could be a stable “solution” to your issue.
When 35A fuses blow, there’s something you need to prioritise when using certain devices together.
Note: 35A fuses shouldn’t blow on temporary spikes, but all depends on the level.
I strongly advice to have a professional electrician inspect your electric system, and discuss how/when you use heavy power using devices; you’ll probably need a heavier fuse.
(sorry for a bit of unclear English)
The Energy Dongle, at least here in NL, can only read what’s being imported from the grid and what’s being exported to the grid. Solar and battery energy that’s being used (not exported) does not flow through the meter, so the dongle doesn’t know about it.
But aside from that, I completely agree with what @Peter_Kawa says: you shouldn’t trust Homey to “manage” your main fuse.
And the fuse only blows when the imported or exported power is more then 35 ampere. So including batterij and solar power. No reason to exclude this from the power measurement.
Are you dutch / located in the Netherlands?
Because if so, i would advice you to look at getting 3phase x 25Amp. Its yearly cost is exactly the same as 1x35A, and the cost of replacing the incomming cable might be free these years. And even the 3phase “fuse” box might be free of charge.
(I already had 3x25A, but with old blowable fuses. I had it replaced this year with switch-fuses (still 3x25A) free of charge, they also replaced all outside cables).
I maintain an app called PELS Energy Manager | Homey that primarily coordinates loads like EV charging, heating and hot water. It can for example respond to if measured grid import exeeds a configured limit without needing to build the control loop yourself in Flows. Devices are reduced and restored automatically according to their priority and the current PELS mode.
There are a couple of important caveats though: Homey/PELS can only react after a new meter reading arrives, so fast spikes will still trip the fuse.
Oh thank you very much I will take a look
I’d use the flow as an early warning rather than protection — a notification when you’re getting close to the limit gives you a chance to turn things off manually, without depending on Homey’s timing to save the fuse.
A 35 fuse does not blow immediately when the load exceeds 35 ampere. It is a slow fuse that allows overload for several minutes depending upon how big the overload is. You have to check the specifications of the fuse.
