General question here -- but does anyone know if IotaWatt can create an 'output' that is based on more-complex calculations? Example being, I would love to have a dashboard tile of "Today's total kWh usage, with cost."
The output builder within the device doesn't seem to support this, and I think that's the only way the driver can pull in data. Unless the driver can somehow take in graph/graph+ creations?
You could very easily modify the Child Power Meter driver to allow the entry of a per kWh cost rate, and then add the Energy Meter Capability as well. Just add a little bit of simple math and a daily reset routine, and voila!
It would not be as accurate as having the IoTaWatt due the calculations, though.
Another option would be to use Grafana to do the math, with a rolling 24 hour cost trend per IoTaWatt output. I only send power values to InfluxDB/Grafana from my two IoTaWatt devices, and I let Grafana display some charts in kWh to show my son just how much energy his gaming computer is using!
My main purpose for this integration is to monitor the power usage of our washer and dryer to trigger notifications when the laundry cycle is complete.
The Query API was added to the IoTaWatt firmware after I had written my original Hubitat driver. I have thought about changing things up to use the IoTaWatt Query API, but I have not really found a need. If you're a programmer and can refactor this driver to use the new API, I am supportive of Pull Requests - or please feel free to publish and support your own IoTaWatt driver. I believe that there is quite a bit more integration with Hubitat possible, however I just don't have the time to work on it. It would be great to what you come up with!
I'm curious how you got all those CTs inside the panel. Granted, they must be smaller than my old The Energy Detective (TED) CTs I use to monitor total and occasional generator load, but still, it must get congested, I don't think I'd have enough room.
You are correct, I somehow failed to take that photo before I buttoned the subpanel up.
I used the 50A Solid Core CT's for almost every branch circuit. I am not sure if IoTaWatt is still selling those or not. These CTs are small, reliable, and accurate. Here is a picture of one of my spare CTs, next to a SD card adapter for size comparison.
Here is another picture from that same thread that shows another user's installation. The interior of my panel is very similar with respect to the CT installation.
Is this like Emomcms? I currently push to that service, but I haven't found any tangible benefit. Maybe there's some upside to having the data stored externally for when the SD card inevitably gets corrupt (happened once already,)
I'm not a purebred programmer, but I can wrestle my way through writing ~10k-line software. I played with Groovy back in the early ST days, but haven't touched it since. I'll have to try my hand again.
I was surprised how small the CTs were as well. The accuracy appears to be really good. I also use it to track my washer/dryer. It's nice to see my A/C costs as well. I also had someone leave a stove on all night once because they were drinking and baking, so I can avoid stuff like that too.
In the IoTaWatt, simply create an Output using the calculator feature, where it adds the two CTs you want together. This new output will then automatically be created via the Parent Device as a new child device in Hubitat.
I made the mistake of ordering it without the CTs, although I found them elsewhere cheaper. I shouldn't have a problem using 100A CTs on regular circuits, should I?
They should work, as long as they are milliamp output CTs, and are properly supported by IoTaWatt's firmware already - otherwise you'd need to enter the custom settings for a CT that the firmware doesn't already know about. Using 100A CTs on lower current circuits should be alright, but may provide slightly less precise results. Also, they are usually larger and may create space constraints in your panel.
If I were you, I would check with Bob (@overeasy) over on the IoTaWatt Community as he is very responsive to questions like these. He's the expert! I am just another user...
If you take pictures on your panel, and post them over in the IoTaWatt Community, I am sure Bob (@overeasy) will help you design the system that will meet your goals.
First of all thank you very much for your work on this project. After reading this thread I did purchase IoTaWatt and have since found that Bob over there is extremely knowledgeable and helpful.
I have a few questions about the child devices.
The inputs display a decimal formatted to 1 while the outputs display a decimal formatted to 3. Is there a way to change the outputs to a decimal of 1?
The parent device shows as a presence device. Just curious why and is there a use for that?
My guess is the number of decimal places is coming from the IoTaWatt. We should be able to truncate the extra decimal places inside the child power driver. I'll take a look and will get back to you regarding this.
The 'presence' capability is useful to know whether of not Hubitat can connect to, and receive data from, the IoTaWatt device. If the connection is lost for long enough, then the Parent device's presence changes to 'not present'. Once the connection is restored, it will change back to 'present'. I use the Hubitat Notifications App to send be a push notification each time the Parent's presence attribute changes state. This way I know if the IoTaWatt is having an issue. The only time I have seen this is when I am messing around with my UniFi WiFi network, either upgrading firmware or trying a new configuration. The IoTaWatt is pretty robust at reconnecting. Also, I have had the GFCI outlet in the Orbit sprinkler box trip from time to time. It is nice to have Hubitat notify me that the IoTaWatt is offline.
