Electricity Monitor Connection Query

Be_Happy

Hi, can anyone help.

I'd like to have an energy monitor, the kind that connects to the electricity meter and has a display screen that you can use around house.

I ordered an Owl Monitor a few months ago, but had to return it because it has a wide connection clip that needs a few inches of cable showing below meter, which our meter doesn't have. According to the handbook, this is a fairly common problem and the solution is to get an electrician to expose more of the cable, but from the electrician's bills I've had in the past, this would cost far more than it would be worth.

Has anyone come across an energy monitor with a smaller connection clip?

mute_posting

what do you mean by "expose more of the cable"? (a picture can tell a thousand words here) - the CT should be clipped arround the cable insulation (as long as it is on only one of the meter tails) - the cable shouldn't be "bared" back to the copper!

It doesn't neccessarily have to be sited at the meter end of the cable - the same current flows through the meter tail where-ever the sensor is clipped on it, so you could clip it arround the end where it enters your fuse box assuming that is accessible.

HTH

MP

EDIT

Page 9 (or 10) of this http://www.electricity-monitor.com/owl_user_guide.pdf shows the setup which may make clearer what I have said above..

Another option is to put the sensor on the tail going TO the meter (on the basis that what comes out of the meter has just gone in!)

Be_Happy

Thanks.

I've taken digital photo, but can't find how to insert it. Site instructions talk about clicking on 'manage attachment' button, but I can't find this.

Can you give me 'idiot proof' instructions?

mute_posting

I've never posted but just looking there is a yellow square with picture of a mountain.

This asks for a hyperlink to the image



just tried it and pointed to a pic of Martin -
so you need the photo on some kind of shawing site like flickr etc.

Perhaps one of the more advanced peeps will say if/how to attach images...

MP

espresso

It's all explained in the FAQ here

mute_posting

Cheers espresso :-)

OP this post explains it...

http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?p=412937#post412937

espresso

mute_posting wrote: »

Cheers espresso :-)

OP this post explains it...

http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?p=412937#post412937

That explains about hosting the image to be posted.

Still waiting to see this picture OP.

Be_Happy

Well here goes with the photo, hopefully.

http://tinypic.com/view.php?pic=2a4wggn&s=3

espresso

So why not simply pull the cover off the trunking?

mute_posting

Ok so it looks like you have an Economy 7 supply

Seeing the pic I can see what you mean - it is actually like my layout with the metal trunking...

If it is just your domestic usage go for either of the big grey cables (in the centre of the picture) that go into your main fusebox

EDIT

Sorry OP - have just realised that the big white box (top right) looks like an MK consumer unit so is probably the main domestic one - are the bottom two (smaller ones) for the heating and immersion heater?

Because you are not actually altering the wiring (the sensor goes arround a meter tail) you can just take the lid off the trunking and clip it around the tail in there.

The middle (light grey) box underneath the trunking is the service fuse where the supply enters - to record ALL usage (domestic and E7) the best tail to monitor is one coming from that to the meter

HTH

MP

Be_Happy

Thanks Espresso and Mute_posting. Going back to look at ease of taking cover off trunking. Did think of this, but thought trunking might be part of meter installation controlled by power company and I could be accused of tampering with meter if I went into it.