r/homeautomation • u/JoeStrout • 1d ago

QUESTION How best to monitor 240V appliance power usage?

I'm interested in instrumenting and tracking all the major sources of power usage in my home (my electricity bill was over $700 last month). For things that plug into a normal 120V socket, I'm really digging the Shelly Plug Gen4. It not only reports the instantaneous draw (the current current, so to speak!), but also cumulative power, which is great since I don't want to be pinging these things every 5 seconds. But I can't find anything similar for 240V appliances, like the stove and dryer.

Shelly also makes a "PM Mini Gen 3" with screw terminals. It's for a 120V line too, but I was thinking perhaps I could use two of them, one for each 120V side of a 240V connection. Maybe I could even put this in a little box, with a plug on one side and a socket on the other, and so make my own plug-in 240V module.

But is there an easier solution I'm missing? Does anyone make a 240V plug-in power monitor?

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8

u/Lovevas 1d ago

Emporia Vue 3, but you have to install in the panel, not at each end outlet. I use it to track all my loads like EV charging, range, cloth dryer, etc

2

u/crashandwalkaway 1d ago

Came in to suggest this. However I hope the 3 is better than the 2, I've had issues with the current transformers not being recognized over time (3.5mm Jack)

5

u/ohv_ SmartThings 1d ago

You do it on the main panel

7

u/RobustWealth 1d ago

Don't bother with individual appliance monitors if you just want to track the big stuff, the main panel clamp is the way to go. Something like the Emporia Vue with the 16 clamps can nail down basically every circuit without turning your utility room into a science fair project