At least one energy monitoring system is getting “smarter.” Powerhouse Dynamics, makers of the eMonitor energy monitoring system that can report electricity use at the circuit level, has gone live with its 2.0 software for its web-based interface, adding some useful alerts and sharing features, as well as upgrading its “Report Card.”
The eMonitor is available in 12- or 24-circuit versions, with the 24-circuit system costing $700, plus a two-year, $249 subscription. The system works by attaching current transformers (CTs) to the mains and individual circuits, wiring them to a small processor mounted nearby and then going over a home network to a router. Users can receive information on a web-based platform, with a scaled-down version available on iPhone. You can read my four-month review of living with the eMonitor here, along with an audio interview with Powerhouse Dynamics CEO Martin Flusberg.
This new version of the eMonitor includes:
Enhanced Report Card—Both online and the email versions have been enhanced to include personal savings recommendations. Information on appliance trends and other important observations based on usage will also be included. On my eMonitor, I especially like how I can click on the bars of the Report Card to go to that circuit’s view, and then get energy saving recommendations.
Alerts—Have been expanded to include several new valuable options, and extended to enable you to receive and share selected Alerts with friends and family on Facebook and Twitter. New options include an Alert on projected cost each month to warn you long before you go over budget; a weekly update on changes in usage from the previous week; a warning that a refrigerator or freezer door may have been left open; and alerts about appliances that have begun using more energy than in the past, which may be a sign of a problem.
Sharing—This release also includes users’ own personalized eMonitor Window pages where they can choose to share selected information with friends and family or post on Facebook for some friendly competition.
The eMonitor presents new information only once it has collected a sufficient amount of data to compute. For example, the eMonitor won’t provide an assessment of Phantom Power until the system has been operational for a week, and does not try to analyze appliance use trends until it has been live for 90 days.