Combine Main of multiple Vues

[chrwei]

I have 400A service, which is split between 2 200A panels, not sub panels but 2 separate panels that are both connected to the meter in parallel.  I have a Vue in each panel, and one panel has solar.  I see my net usage for that panel only, and have to do math to substract the main usage from the other panel to see my real net usage.  I can’t do this when on a graph view as I can only see one panel at a time.

I’d like to a Total of All Mains graph to see my total overall usage.  I’m sure this would be useful for those with multiple houses/meters as well.

• This topic was modified 2 years, 7 months ago by chrwei.

[djwakelee]

If your panels are close (or relatively so), in the absence of a software solution, one thing you could do is parallel the CTs going into one of the Vue’s.  Get a 3.5mm Y audio cable, and combine the CT’s from the different panels.  May need some short audio jumper extensions also.  You do need to make sure you combine the same hot phases.  After hooking up this way, your one Vue2 will show you the total utility consumption, without any math.  The balance figure for that Vue 2 will then equal the negative balance total from the 2nd Vue2, which will no longer show any mains power since the mains CTs aren’t connected to it.

The other way to do this is to clamp the main Vue 2’s leads around the 400A feeders.  That is, if the clamps fit, have enough wire length, and are comfortable accessing that area with the high power.

[chrwei]

one is a Vue and the other is a Vue2, different size plugs.  I assume an adapter would work, still seems awkward, and other than experimenting I’m sure how to verify the legs.

each feeder goes out to the meter separate, I guess pealing back some sheath is possible, but I don’t think  the clamp will fit around 2 wires.

[ChrisB]

I have the exact same situation and so do many others.

I actually bought 3 Gen 2 Vue Energy Monitors:
– main panel 1 with solar and all 220 appliances (dryer, pool, car charging, etc.)
– main panel 2 with all 110 circuits (20 feet away from first panel)
– sub panel of main panel 2 on opposite side of the house

I talked to the Emporia team (BTW, they are awesome!) an was told the next version would have the ability to create a virtual house main panel in which you could add the main panel 1 and 2 as sub panels, but I guess it did not happen.

This is a trick they could do on the cloud database (then of course they need to add the UI), but then one can really measure the house overall energy and match the house bill.

• This reply was modified 2 years, 6 months ago by ChrisB.

[ChrisB]

BTW, good customers like me (I bought 3 times already) who love the Emporia products and company (I am a software engineer too) would love to buy more starting with the EV charger, and of course the batteries. However, we can’t without that software enhancement as we cannot know the overall house energy is consuming or producing enough to charge batteries. So that is a pretty good RoI to boost sales, especially batteries as that is major league in terms of company profit and value. Make me a beta tester, my engineers do that to me all the time!

[chrwei]

I’d be fine with it only being done in the app, just one item that adds up all the Mains.  Right now I’m making up for it using HomeAssistant and the unofficial API using a sensor template to add them up.  the app’s graphs are nicer than HASS’s defaults though.

I’d totally be down for a BETA program.

[Wallyman424]

Count me in too. Have 2 Vues, one on each 200amp panel. Would love to combine them in the app.

[darktears]

I need this feature as well. My configuration is exactly like chrwei. I’m sure it’s very common setup for big houses with a lot of breakers. Did emporia gave some timeline on rollout of the feature even as beta?

• This reply was modified 2 years, 4 months ago by darktears.

[jmwsb]

same question here.

To combine multiple circuits in the app, when will it become available ?

Or is the beta already ready ?

many thanks

[John Polasek]

I have a related but slightly different question… My house has 28 circuits that I’d like to monitor (actually 36 breakers, but 8 of them too minor to worry about).  I currently have a Vue 2 with 16 individual and the 2 mains… showing about 300 to 500 watts of “fugitive” power in the 12 circuits I’m not monitoring.  If I get a second Vue 2 and add it to the same panel, can those two be combined without adding the mains rings?  I am pulling pseudo real time data into my home control software using Helgew’s Emporia-downloader Javascript () on Github to pull a 1 minute average once a minute, but am wondering how that will work if I add a second one.

 

[darktears]

@John Polasek: I think the nested option in Manage Devices -> Select your vue -> Vue Info -> Nest Under is what you need. And yes, you can connect a second vue without connecting the main.

Unfortunately for us with a split panel at the meter the Nest Under option doesn’t work especially when you have Solar. The computations are off.

[djwakelee]

As currently implemented, Nesting is only appropriate for using the 2nd Vue2 with its mains clamps on a subpanel and its circuits.  When you want to want to just measure more than 16 circuits on the main panel, the present approach is to not nest – and not use a 2nd set of mains clamps (leave A/B/C unconnected on the 2nd Vue2).  In this configuration, your balance on Vue2 #1 will equal the sum of the circuits on Vue #2, and all the math will still work.  Any solar should be on Vue2 #1 (the one with the mains clamps).

Emporia has promised updates to better handle multiple non-nested Vue2’s.  That and other features (like better 240V circuit support) seem to be continually postponed.

[John Polasek]

“Emporia has promised updates to better handle multiple non-nested Vue2’s.  That and other features (like better 240V circuit support) seem to be continually postponed.”

The feature that I would really like would be the ability to obtain real time data locally, but from what they have said on another thread, that one’s not even on their radar because “it doesn’t fit their business model”.  And this really makes me nervous for 3 reasons:

1. Our internet options are not 100% solid, meaning if the ISP drops their tower for an hour or so (which happens once or twice a month) my updates into the home control sever die until it comes back up.

2. If Emporia goes bankrupt and drops their cloud server like a company that had some neat soil moisture sensors that I used to adjust my sprinkler system through the cloud, I end up with useless pieces of junk that I can’t use any more.

3. At any time, Emporia might suddenly decide to become a “for pay” server to stay in business, meaning I’d be paying whatever they demand to keep getting the data;  they claim that’s “not in their business model” as well, but as every knows, people change their minds.

 

[yaplej]

I am in the same boat here.  We have two main panels that are each 200Amps off the same mains.  I have a Vue2 on each of them but they need to be aggregated together.  The usage is monitored accurately split between the two but the billing estimate is off because its treating them as two different service accounts instead of a single account.

[devdevil85]

We are in the same boat. 200A to the house. 200A to the barn. Being able to combine both into a single feed would be amazing.

[johntdyer]

Has Emporia published a roadmap of upcoming features?

[newtonetienne]

One more vote for being able to aggregate the data from multiple Vue2s.

 

In my case, I needed to monitor more than 16 circuits so I purchased another Vue2, not using the main clamps on this second Vue2 and I have it nested under the primary Vue2.

 

While this allows me to monitor more than 16 circuits, the sorting of the circuits with largest usage is thrown off. It would be better if the app simply allows you to aggregate the data into one “virtual” Vue.

[aviet]

Not to pile on but I’ve started installing a bunch of Gen 2 Vue’s and also need this feature.  The feature to do nesting is great and is appropriate for subpanels that are off one of my mains but I have 2 different mains that are monitored from different locations.  Hope the Emporia team can add this soon!

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