4 ms·

Why doesn't every home have a monitor right off the main panel recording current total power draw in a format that is easy to read and interpret? Seems like su

Why doesn't every home have a monitor right off the main panel recording current total power draw in a format that is easy to read and interpret? Seems like such an obvious way to control usage. Running around with a power consumpution monitor for every wall socket is all well and good, but might miss a lot of silent leaks.

rob74 5y ago
That would work for the total consumption, but if you notice that that is too high, you will still have to run around with a power consumption monitor to identify the individual culprits. Of course, a display saying "you are currently using 1300 Watts" would be easier than having to estimate it from how fast the wheel on the meter is turning, but replacing every meter everywhere is not the most environmentally friendly thing to do either...
- masklinn 5y ago
  I’d think panel support would logically have a probe per circuit, so you could get the complete breakdown if and when necessary. Though obviously it’s still only on per-circuit basis, and if an idiot wired your house that may be less useful than the platonic ideal of house wiring.
  - NordSteve 5y ago
    Leviton offers what you describe: https://www.leviton.com/en/products/residential/load-centers https://www.leviton.com/en/products/residential/load-centers
- egeek 5y ago
  There's an energy monitor with 16 CT clamps included, you put one on each of the circuits coming from the fuse board. 16 is more than enough for most UK houses, which would at least let you know which circuits are consuming the power.
- bzxcvbn 5y ago
  > if you notice that that is too high, you will still have to run around with a power consumption monitor to identify the individual culprits Or just the good old method of turning things off individually, one at a time.
edent 5y ago
They do. All new smart meters come with an IHD (In Home Display). It shows real-time use in kWh or £.
- grimjack00 5y ago
  > All new smart meters come with an IHD (In Home Display). Not necessarily. My local utility (Xcel Energy in Colorado, US) is in the process of moving to new smart meters, and as far as I'm aware, there is no IHD. My apartment complex was converted a couple months ago; I can get hourly usage via the utility website on about a 3-4 hour delay, but no realtime usage.
  - edent 5y ago
    I'm assuming, if you're in the US, your IHD wouldn't be displaying in £ either :-) Let me be clearer. Every new install of a smart meter in the UK is supposed to come with an IHD.
- desas 5y ago
  Mine didn't, the meter was installed as part of the house build last year.
julian_sark 5y ago
Careful what you wish for ... In Germany, this thinking has let to one of two things: mandatory smart meters, which may spy on you, and require an Internet connection. Beefing up the cost by a factor of, idk, a lot. My local provider (luckily) has opted to install "semi smart" meters right before the smart meter became mandatory. Those do not need Internet connectivity (and thus, are only somewhat more expensive than the old ones). The "semi smart" part is, they allow renters to read some power consumption figures. How, you ask? do you press a button? Ask again. The meter has an encapsulated (notoriously shitty) photo diode. You need to flash a code with a flashlight to it! Only then will it display the power figures for the last week on the LCD display. Madness. In the same vein, landlords will soon be required to provide a monthly overview of heating costs, e.g. by email. Guess who pays dearly for this service with no choice? Renters. Bottom line: Those of us who are already on top of costs get expensive, mandatory and ultimately useless services. Those who didn't care about running the heater while the window is open probably won't care still.
- robonerd 5y ago
  > The meter has an encapsulated (notoriously shitty) photo diode. You need to flash a code with a flashlight to it! Only then will it display the power figures for the last week on the LCD display. Madness. That's simultaneously terrible and quite neat.
  - deleted 5y ago
    [deleted]
  - merb 5y ago
    well its bullshit, there are some shitty ones but also some really good ones. besides a smart meter is only required for certain people. only a digital meter will be required for most people. a digital meter will be smart if it gets a communication unit, however most digital meters lack these. (you need the com unit if you have more than 6kW/year, produce more than 7kW to the grid or if you have a wallbox/heat pump/etc) however some power providers will force a smart grid (digital meter + com unit) on you and you can't deny it (you can't deny digital meters aswell) however they are not as smart as they could be and most of the time you need to send your total kW amount to the provider anyway... (btw. your power provider and the grid provider are not always the same so it might be that you send the amount to the grid provider or you have a smart meter and the grid provider forwards it to the power provider and the grid is basically a municipal one so it might happen that each county/city might have a different one (my parents live 30km afar and have the same power provider, but we have a differet grid provider)) (smart meter usage or not is bound by the grid provider so you can't just switch it, since you would need to relocate...)

rob74 5y ago

That would work for the total consumption, but if you notice that that is too high, you will still have to run around with a power consumption monitor to identify the individual culprits. Of course, a display saying "you are currently using 1300 Watts" would be easier than having to estimate it from how fast the wheel on the meter is turning, but replacing every meter everywhere is not the most environmentally friendly thing to do either...

masklinn 5y ago
I’d think panel support would logically have a probe per circuit, so you could get the complete breakdown if and when necessary. Though obviously it’s still only on per-circuit basis, and if an idiot wired your house that may be less useful than the platonic ideal of house wiring.
- NordSteve 5y ago
  Leviton offers what you describe: https://www.leviton.com/en/products/residential/load-centers https://www.leviton.com/en/products/residential/load-centers
egeek 5y ago
There's an energy monitor with 16 CT clamps included, you put one on each of the circuits coming from the fuse board. 16 is more than enough for most UK houses, which would at least let you know which circuits are consuming the power.
bzxcvbn 5y ago
> if you notice that that is too high, you will still have to run around with a power consumption monitor to identify the individual culprits Or just the good old method of turning things off individually, one at a time.

edent 5y ago

They do. All new smart meters come with an IHD (In Home Display). It shows real-time use in kWh or £.

grimjack00 5y ago
> All new smart meters come with an IHD (In Home Display). Not necessarily. My local utility (Xcel Energy in Colorado, US) is in the process of moving to new smart meters, and as far as I'm aware, there is no IHD. My apartment complex was converted a couple months ago; I can get hourly usage via the utility website on about a 3-4 hour delay, but no realtime usage.
- edent 5y ago
  I'm assuming, if you're in the US, your IHD wouldn't be displaying in £ either :-) Let me be clearer. Every new install of a smart meter in the UK is supposed to come with an IHD.
desas 5y ago
Mine didn't, the meter was installed as part of the house build last year.

julian_sark 5y ago

Careful what you wish for ... In Germany, this thinking has let to one of two things: mandatory smart meters, which may spy on you, and require an Internet connection. Beefing up the cost by a factor of, idk, a lot. My local provider (luckily) has opted to install "semi smart" meters right before the smart meter became mandatory. Those do not need Internet connectivity (and thus, are only somewhat more expensive than the old ones). The "semi smart" part is, they allow renters to read some power consumption figures. How, you ask? do you press a button? Ask again. The meter has an encapsulated (notoriously shitty) photo diode. You need to flash a code with a flashlight to it! Only then will it display the power figures for the last week on the LCD display. Madness. In the same vein, landlords will soon be required to provide a monthly overview of heating costs, e.g. by email. Guess who pays dearly for this service with no choice? Renters. Bottom line: Those of us who are already on top of costs get expensive, mandatory and ultimately useless services. Those who didn't care about running the heater while the window is open probably won't care still.

robonerd 5y ago
> The meter has an encapsulated (notoriously shitty) photo diode. You need to flash a code with a flashlight to it! Only then will it display the power figures for the last week on the LCD display. Madness. That's simultaneously terrible and quite neat.
- deleted 5y ago
  [deleted]
- merb 5y ago
  well its bullshit, there are some shitty ones but also some really good ones. besides a smart meter is only required for certain people. only a digital meter will be required for most people. a digital meter will be smart if it gets a communication unit, however most digital meters lack these. (you need the com unit if you have more than 6kW/year, produce more than 7kW to the grid or if you have a wallbox/heat pump/etc) however some power providers will force a smart grid (digital meter + com unit) on you and you can't deny it (you can't deny digital meters aswell) however they are not as smart as they could be and most of the time you need to send your total kW amount to the provider anyway... (btw. your power provider and the grid provider are not always the same so it might be that you send the amount to the grid provider or you have a smart meter and the grid provider forwards it to the power provider and the grid is basically a municipal one so it might happen that each county/city might have a different one (my parents live 30km afar and have the same power provider, but we have a differet grid provider)) (smart meter usage or not is bound by the grid provider so you can't just switch it, since you would need to relocate...)