In our article on Solar vs Grid vs Home Battery & EV monitoring we explain how we use the data that we can collect.
If you’re not sure what type of meter you have or what data is available, this article is for you. It can get pretty confusing because terms like "smart meter" are used to describe different types of devices.
These are old fashioned electricity meters with clock like moving parts. They’re not digital or smart. They were installed by electricity utilities for billing and are still used in some homes.
We can’t get data from them.
This is the meter that your electricity owns and installs to track how much energy you’ve used so that they can bill you. In most parts of the world, home occupants can’t access the data collected by these meters in real time. In some areas the data might be available after 24 hours and it’s not usually very detailed, often summarised in 15-30 minute intervals.
Some smart meters are still read by a person visiting your home a few times a year, others have cellular connections that transmit readings over the Internet.
Currently, Charge HQ cannot access data from any type of utility owned smart meter.
We call them energy meters but they're also referred to as grid meter, consumption meters and smart meters. They monitor the energy consumption of the home. They belong to the home owner and the data they collect is often available in near real-time (1-5 minute intervals) over the Internet.
They can be installed either:
These are the energy meters that Charge HQ uses to enable charging from excess solar.
When connected to a solar inverter they're often installed as an optional add-on to the solar system.
They’re commonly found in your main switchboard alongside your circuit breakers.
If you have one, you will see both your solar production and your home energy consumption in the app for your rooftop solar system.
Check the list of supported solar data sources to confirm if we can use data from the energy meter connected to your solar inverter.
An energy meter is a mandatory component of a home battery. The battery needs to know how much energy the home is consuming to know when to charge or discharge. The meter is often built into the battery itself but may also be a separate unit, similar to those used for solar inverters above.
If you have a home battery, you will have an energy meter.
Check the list of supported solar data sources to confirm if we can use data from the energy meter connected to your home battery.
You may also have a standalone energy meter. Commonly installed in your switchboard they can be configured to monitor a combination of home energy consumption, grid consumption and or solar production.
Check the list of supported solar data sources to confirm if your standalone energy meter is compatible with Charge HQ.
