Do you use Goals in the Sense app? Share your story

A bunch of you shared stories about Device Notifications and some of them made it into a recent video.

I’m now working on a video about the Goals feature and I’d love to include some of your user stories. How are you making use of the Goals feature? To start, I’ll share some of mine:

  • I have an anytime goal set for 10kW, so I can know when my auxiliary electric heat is running
  • I have two goals (<25kWh at end of day and <900kWh at end of month) to know if my electric bill is going to be crazy expensive at the end of the month so I can prep accordingly.
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Thanks @RyanAtSense, always good to get some visuals!
The low-fi scratchy background track enhances the … OK, nevermind. :wink:

GOALS:

  • Scanned my historical peak power meter and saw around 9.3kW
  • Set both “At any point < 9.6kW” and “At any point <9.0kW”

That’s my pseudo “Over Current” alert since I have a 100A panel without a main breaker (strictly speaking it’s a sub-panel). My main breaker in the basement is a PITA to access so I want to keep my current warnings as low as possible without sending me cry-wolf alerts all the time.

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How do you set this “anytime” goal?

Looking at the goals I don’t seem to have that as an option…the options I have are “usage” and “always on”

I also don’t see it mentioned here:

I believe @RyanAtSense is referring to this

These are the Goals I have used.

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I see it now. Thanks

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Would love to see this somehow integrated with IFTTT! I.e. If using too much electricity, it could signal nest to turn down the heat or turn off lights via an automation system.

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Bruno Munari is turning in his grave. Possibly literally?

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I use the goals function in the app but it is only good for power used nothing else. The cost per kw function is basically useless since there is no 24/7 grid to enter changing costs per kw. The goal function is only useful for power consumed until the Sense app developers give us at least a basic cost per hour grid

I use goals for an Airbnb property. I operate it from one state away. I price a 2,000 sq. ft. home for double occupancy with a 20.00 upcharge per couple/week for additional guests. Extra guests use hot water from the electric hot water heater at a predicable rate. With Sense I know about the additional guests within 24 hours. I don’t use cameras, including the video doorbells. It is amazing to me how many (all) won’t pay the 20.00.

Most guests want to re-rent the following season. Rentals are in demand so I can be selective. I reason someone who lies to save twenty bucks is someone that I don’t want back. Don’t even get me started about the petty stuff that gets stolen!

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So, you have a Goal set up for the hot water heater to know when guests are going above a certain rate threshold? I love hearing your stories as it’s a pretty different use case than most think about with Sense.

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Oh my here we go. Totally on board with you here (I think!) but it does make me guess that Europe probably already has laws about this stuff. You open up an avenue that I believe @RyanAtSense should (has?) brought up with the Sense team.

I have an image of an orange SenseHouse rental (@samwooly1 is that you??) dynamically priced after occupation according to said renters energy consumption. Could be fun.

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Airbnb and VRBO have rules on noise monitoring and Wi-Fi monitoring (the number of devices) but not energy monitoring. Interior cameras are illegal criminally in the US (as they should be). Usually video door bells (on the exterior) are generally acceptable. I think those take too much privacy from my guests so I don’t use them.

Much of the abnormal data that you can get from a smart home’s sensors or Sense gives you some idea if there is some gross violation of the lease. For example, if the front door is open/closed often for a few minutes it means someone is smoking outside. It doesn’t take too much understanding of human nature to figure things out. The difference with Sense is I can set goals and find out quickly.

The additional cost of utilities usually costs me 15.00 - 20.00 couple/week. I think most guests don’t consider the cost of a few friends over. For me it is simply a measure of honesty.

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There is one small firm that has tied home automation, short term renters, and energy savings together. Their angle is the motion is tied to the thermostat, lock, and water heater. It estimates a vacant home, shuts off the water heater, and changes the temp. When the guests return (open the door) everything comes to life.

I know now, from Sense, that the savings do not overcome the cost (reoccurring and product cost)

not much benefit using the goals function. It does let you know how much power you have used but since there is no accuracy in the price per kilowatt function of the app the goals isn’t useful to me. Until Sense has a 24/7 grid we can change our cost per hour there isn’t much use for goals or even cost analysis from the Sense app. This is other than power used about the most important feature that doesn’t exist in the Sense app. Can’t believe they still don’t have a simple kw cost per hour grid available.

There are some pretty cheap and easy to implement solely Sensed-based presence solutions I can think of:

  • Motion-sensing lighting through Hue or other Sense-registering system … motion sensors these days are pretty good and will quickly tell you when somebody/nobody is home.

  • Smartplugs with Sense (so you can guarantee the on/off registration) on an entry light with a door-activated switch.

If you combined those two you’d have a subscription-free trigger that could be tied with Goals.

If you’re not getting your $20 for the extra shower energy use your rental could hit a max-watts-daily Goal and, let’s say, switch the hot water off for a while. Coin-operated showers? Much more fun.

I guess you’re paying for some kind of relay (switch) for a hot water tank with that service?

I have a Rheem EcoNet that theoretically could take some Sense-based actions. Maybe.