INSTEON iMeter Solo

[jay (support)]

This topic is to discuss the iMeter Solo, an energy monitoring device for INSTEON networks.

Device Details
How to use with Indigo

We have 2 electric water heaters and a 5-ton heat pump. The heat pump is a Carrier Infinity and I don't really want to deal with trying to automate that (unless someone knows an inexpensive and reliable way to do so. If I had known in 2010 the automation issues I would have I would have opted for the "dumb" thermostat , but I digress...)

What I want to be able to do is set things up so that if the heat pump compressor is running the water heaters will power off, or if water heater A is on, turn off water heater B. This is in addition to setting timers for the water heaters.

I'm planning on using these for the water heaters: http://www.amazon.com/Insteon-2477SA2-D ... B003O667YU

I'm assuming that I can set up rules that will allow me to turn off a device based on the status of another device. I haven't looked at that yet - we are still evaluating solutions.

What I can't figure out is how to set something up to let the system know that the heat pump compressor is on. The compressor is 240v on a 50 amp breaker. If I could get the load that it's pulling when on that would be helpful too because it's a variable speed, but that's not a deal breaker. I also do not need to control the compressor, just sense if it's on or off.

Just came across this post and offer this as a possible solution...

My situation was trying to control a hot water heater. When we're not home, even for a weekend, it just wastes electricity to be keeping the house water hot. So, I looked into turning off the heater when we're not home. Alas, it's hard wired, uses more amps than Insteon products allow for, and just seemed a PITA. And then I realized I didn't have to kill the power to the heater, I could just disable its sensor. Not the same as your situation, but bear with me.

So, I took a voltmeter to the sensor wires that sense if the hot water tank needs more hot water - about 24 volts with minimal current. Then I got an Insteon I/O module and put it in the middle of the hot (+24V, not the ground) wires going to the sensor. I then configured the ON on the I/O link's relay to connect the sensor wires, and obviously OFF to disconnect them. Now, when I leave the house for the weekend, I tell the I/O link to disconnect the sensor wire and my water heater is convinced there's enough hot water and never turns on.

My guess is that you could do the same with with any sort of HVAC-like sensor. Just figure out what wire runs the voltage back to the main unit, and feed it though an I/O link. Usually these are 24V lines, but please make sure you measure yours first. The I/O link will burn out if you pump 120V though it - it's only made for low voltage switching.

Anyway, hope this helps.

Hello,
I have an imeter solo monitoring my dryer periodically. I keep getting notifications from my dryer that it is turning on... but after monitoring the event log, i see this conspicuous line:

Sent INSTEON "Laundry Room - Dryer iMeter Solo" imeter data request (received: 65535 W, 343.4526 kWh)

I can assure you that my dryer is indeed off and it is not drawing 65,000 watts...

Anyone have any ideas on what could be causing this?

[matt (support)]

Hmmm... not sure. Let's start with a factory reset and re-define/sync of it and see if the problem continues.

Interesting. I was getting a pretty steady 2-4 watt usage (dryer door was not open) but I just figured it was vamping power since this was a new dryer with a fancy display. After doing a factory reset and resync in indigo I see the following in the event log:

Error accumulative energy total near overflow -- send reset request to module
Sent INSTEON "Laundry Room - Dryer iMeter Solo" imeter data request (received: 0 W, -1.0000 kWh)

After resetting, I see a steady 0 watts... which is what I really expect. I will report back if I continue running into further issues.

Hi Folks,
I had an iMeter Solo that I was using to determine when my sump pump kicks on. That finally died, and they are no longer making them. ( The pump is plugged into a simple house outlet, but has no alarm contacts.)

Can anyone suggest a substitute device that can report power draw? Or am I missing a trick? I couldn't find any Insteon devices that would do this.

thanks,
-russg

The pump is plugged into a simple house outlet.

Can anyone suggest a substitute device that can report power draw?

120V? How many amps? If it is not too big of a load use a smart plug such as Zooz Zen06 or Aeotec ZW096. For bigger loads you could use a Aeotec ZW095 Home Energy Meter. All are Z-Wave and available on Amazon. I have all three.


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[jay (support)]

Can anyone suggest a substitute device that can report power draw? Or am I missing a trick? I couldn't find any Insteon devices that would do this.

I don't believe there are any Insteon devices that can do it. There are quite a few Z-Wave devices though. I use the Coolcam on/off plugs (cheap from Amazon) for my washer and gas dryer.

Thanks, I'll try one. I prefer Insteon in general, but it looks like they are on a downward spiral, which is a shame.
-russg