EVSE Home Assessment Scheduling is Live!

[Bicster]

Ted can tell you what is going on at the plug level, it can learn loads. I am monitoring dedicated circuits with TED.

It's crude and IIRC it can only guess 5 loads, and those loads have to be easily identifiable -- variable-speed A/C compressors, etc, need not apply. TED also uses PLC and Zigbee. I know I would have issues with the PLC. X10 and Insteon don't work in my home.

I really want to like TED. It's affordable and is good for what it is, but I have always wanted monitoring granular to the breaker level.

 

[Frank]

Ted can tell you what is going on at the plug level, it can learn loads. I am monitoring dedicated circuits with TED.

It's crude and IIRC it can only guess 5 loads, and those loads have to be easily identifiable -- variable-speed A/C compressors, etc, need not apply. TED also uses PLC and Zigbee. I know I would have issues with the PLC. X10 and Insteon don't work in my home.

I really want to like TED. It's affordable and is good for what it is, but I have always wanted monitoring granular to the breaker level.

Well Ecodog also uses PLC, and says it will add Zigbee in the future to monitor individual loads via a plug-in module. But the nice thing about the ecodog PLC is that it is very robust and does not have to work all the time. There is memory in both the breaker box and the PC adapter that can store up to 60 days of data on individual circuit usage. If the breaker box only can communicate with the PC adapter occaisionally during the 60 days, that will be fine. Or if you unplug it while on vacation and plug it back in when you get home it won't miss any data. I have a lot of X-10 PLC going on in my home and Ecodog coexists pretty well with it.

 

[Jimmydreams]

Ted can tell you what is going on at the plug level, it can learn loads. I am monitoring dedicated circuits with TED.

It's crude and IIRC it can only guess 5 loads, and those loads have to be easily identifiable -- variable-speed A/C compressors, etc, need not apply. TED also uses PLC and Zigbee. I know I would have issues with the PLC. X10 and Insteon don't work in my home.

I really want to like TED. It's affordable and is good for what it is, but I have always wanted monitoring granular to the breaker level.

I have TED, just installed it a week or so ago. I love it for it's price and what it does. Yes, monitoring something down to the breaker level would be cool, but you can set your house on 'idle', and then turn something on and see the resultant energy use on TED immediately. My house isnt' all that big, but it wouldn't take me long to figure out EXACTLY how much my a/c used (for example). For the cost difference between TED and ECODOG, I can be happy knowing my a/c costs $1.23 an hour to run and guestimate that it's run about 50 hours (that's $61.50) rather than have ECODOG tell he it's really $60.98. The extra cost of ECODOG doen't justify those exact numbers, IMHO. Plus, I can't imagine ECODOG is a self-install. TED was and was very easy.

TED is touchy when it comes to noise in your circuits, but after a few debugging efforts, I have my TED running great. YMMV.

 

[DaveEV]

The hardware involved is "breaker box" connected to the electrical panel with CTs (small rings) connected to each breaker. The breaker box communicates with a network adapter connected to your PC via the AC power line. See http://www.ecodoginc.com for more info.

Yeah, that's the best way to do the monitoring. These guys are literally up the street from where I work - you happen to know them?

$1,000 is a bit much for a monitoring system, though. Have a hard time justifying $1k when my annual electricity costs before PV were well under that amount.

I've been meeting to try building the OpenEnergyMonitor. Definitely a DIY style system, but should be pretty expandable if you're familiar with electronics and a bit of programming.

 

[EVDRIVER]

Ted can tell you what is going on at the plug level, it can learn loads. I am monitoring dedicated circuits with TED.

It's crude and IIRC it can only guess 5 loads, and those loads have to be easily identifiable -- variable-speed A/C compressors, etc, need not apply. TED also uses PLC and Zigbee. I know I would have issues with the PLC. X10 and Insteon don't work in my home.

I really want to like TED. It's affordable and is good for what it is, but I have always wanted monitoring granular to the breaker level.

NO, you can use an MTU on a line if you want. If you can get a network wired/wireless at the install point it will work. The zigbee is for the optional wireless device, I don't use it and Zigbee is very reliable, I work extensively with Zigbee and Zigbee pro. THe software is decent and there are aps for iphone, etc.

 

[Frank]

Yeah, that's the best way to do the monitoring. These guys are literally up the street from where I work - you happen to know them?

$1,000 is a bit much for a monitoring system, though. Have a hard time justifying $1k when my annual electricity costs before PV were well under that amount.

Yeah, the more money you spend on electricity the more sense it makes to closely monitor it because some relatively small changes can save some big money.

I don't personally know the Ecodog crew but they seem like nice people

 

[EVDRIVER]

Yeah, that's the best way to do the monitoring. These guys are literally up the street from where I work - you happen to know them?

$1,000 is a bit much for a monitoring system, though. Have a hard time justifying $1k when my annual electricity costs before PV were well under that amount.

Yeah, the more money you spend on electricity the more sense it makes to closely monitor it because some relatively small changes can save some big money.

I don't personally know the Ecodog crew but they seem like nice people

Unless you pay $4K a month what's the point.

 

[planet4ever]

One of the biggest advantages of a small PV system is that by knocking off 1/2 your usage, you keep your rate(s) in the lowest tier(s).

What is better financially.... a larger system on TOU, which would cover all your electricity needs, or a smaller system on regular domestic rates that keeps your usage in tier 1?

That depends on your goal. If you want to minimize your carbon footprint or prepare for some future peak NG doomsday, you want the biggest system you can afford. If your goal is primarily economic, you want the smallest system that will keep you out of the higher tiers.

I assume you are on SoCal Edison, and I don't know how their rate schedules work, but my calculations under PG&E always seem to come out with TOD being better than flat rate if you have solar, even for a fairly modest sized solar system. PG&E also has an interesting twist on their EV schedule - tier 2 is no more expensive than tier 1. It's sort of like getting a 30% bump in your base quantity because they know you will need more power, just as an all-electric home has a higher base quantity than one that uses natural gas for heating.

 

[Frank]

Yeah, that's the best way to do the monitoring. These guys are literally up the street from where I work - you happen to know them?

$1,000 is a bit much for a monitoring system, though. Have a hard time justifying $1k when my annual electricity costs before PV were well under that amount.

Yeah, the more money you spend on electricity the more sense it makes to closely monitor it because some relatively small changes can save some big money.

I don't personally know the Ecodog crew but they seem like nice people

Unless you pay $4K a month what's the point.

The same point of buying a Leaf. Sometimes isn't isn't cost effective to make the world a better place.

 

[EVDRIVER]

I have a ted 5000 with three MTU units, one on the mains, one on the solar and one on my dedicated charging outlet. I also can interface it to my home automation system and will be able to program events off the unit such as power shut down of anything in the house etc. I will soon be able to get the ted info off my TVs, touch screens, remotes, etc. Have event texts and emails sent, etc. For the few hundred dollars it was a great investment.

 

[EVDRIVER]

My appt was rescheduled. They seemed to indicate that there was not a discount for easier installs, not sure if anyone is willing to give out accurate info until they have conducted the review. It would be nice to get accurate info on the fees.

 

[garygid]

The $2200 was described as including the EVSE and an "average" install cost.

Many installs will cost much more.
Presumably, some should cost less.

We will learn more 1 July, after the first appointments happen.

 

[pgrovetom]

Go see my post, they won't let you use any EVSE except the one from AV and only if AV installs it. See my posts in the Nissan questions area. Its very weird.

 

[EVDRIVER]

Go see my post, they won't let you use any EVSE except the one from AV and only if AV installs it. See my posts in the Nissan questions area. Its very weird.

Not possible, Clipper Creek and others will have public stations.

 

[LEAFer]

Would it make any sense at all if one was closeby to a Nissan dealership or a public charging station to fully charge their cars prior to coming home for the day? And then drive home to just trickle charge it for the entire night. (Trickle charging does not need any special 240V infrastructure right?)

Thx.

I'm not sure if I would use the term "make sense", but, yes, that's doable. But that technique is coupled with a bunch on inconvenience, which could get old quickly. They key really is, how many miles do you need to drive the car (and how you drive it matters, since we know that distance-travelled does not equal battery-distance-used). The other factor: how long can you put it on "trickle". If you come home at 6pm and plug in, then don't leave till 7am, that could give you 52 miles (using Gary's mean estimate). Not bad. But if your commute (or other side trips) is 50 miles round trip each day, you're cutting it close depending on conditions (A/C use, 75mph on the freeway, lead foot, etc) because you'll be using more than 52 (battery miles) each day.

Consider at least trickle charging at work too.

Yes, if the electrical install/upgrades ("hidden cost") become too expensive you need to reconsider. But first I would analyze my miles needed.

 

[garygid]

It might make sense to routinely charge away from home if:
1. the charger is Level 3 (Quick Charge)
2. you have permission to use the charger
3. there is not a too-long waiting line
4. the owner has not "banned" you, or have an injunction ...
5. you work at the establishment
6. time and $$ considered, it "costs" you less than charging at home
7. you are a customer or have a reason to spend time there.

 

[LEAFer]

Good list, but keep in mind QC degrades the battery faster when used extensively.

 

[planet4ever]

If you come home at 6pm and plug in, then don't leave till 7am, that could give you 52 miles (using Gary's mean estimate). Not bad. But if your commute (or other side trips) is 50 miles round trip each day, you're cutting it close depending on conditions (A/C use, 75mph on the freeway, lead foot, etc) because you'll be using more than 52 (battery miles) each day.

Even that isn't necessarily a problem, since I assume you don't work seven days a week. If, say, you average 50 miles a day on weekdays and 15 miles a day on the weekend, you are driving 280 miles/week. Let's say you are a lead foot and get only 45 miles of charge per night. It still averages out with something to spare. If you can start out fully charged Monday morning you will be down 70 miles by Friday night, but you can make that up on the weekend.

 

[Dav]

Good list, but keep in mind QC degrades the battery faster when used extensively.

This would be a good thing to consider in the lease/purchase debate. If you intend to make a lot of use of quick charging, leasing may be a better way to go. So what if the battery degrades faster? You are giving it back anyway.

Although most leases have a penalty for miles over allotment. I wonder if the Leaf will count the number of times it has been quick charged and there will be lease penalties? :shock:

 

[LEAFer]

Shhh.... :!: