New to Sense, trying to identify HVAC

I am new to Sense and i purchase it to help me analyze hvac costs. I have 3 induction heater in various locations. My hope was to turn one on and label the load as that heater.
From what i se and read i can not do that and it may take a month for sense to identify. Looks like a 50/50 shot it will be correct.
Honestly this seems like a cool pet project to build very cool algorithms but not to sure it is what i am looking for to actually do what i want it to do.

Hi @rm10x - do you currently have Sense Solar (or another Sense integration that utilizes the middle port on your monitor?)

No i do not It has had an installation error and has been at 50 % diagnosed for 5 hours
It is online however

@rm10x If you want to see your HVAC system in Sense immediately and not wait on native device detection, you can purchase a pair of Flex Add-on Sensors and utilize the Dedicated Circuit Monitoring feature to instantly detect up to 2 120V or 240V breakers in your panel.
The installation guide is here:

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Does that make sense ? I can see it come on on the load monitor I know the amp load. Why can I not assign it manually ? Or at least zero it in ? Wher I live the heaters will off in another month. That kinda make this obsolete at that point ?

If all you wanted to know was the operational wattage of your HVAC system on the Power Meter spike/decrease, then you I wouldn’t recommend using DCM. You should be fine as-is.

If you wanted to see the entire HVAC system identified together as one device, I’d recommend Dedicated Circuit Monitoring. Sense will probably recognize the different parts of your HVAC system as individual devices, so Dedicated Circuit Monitoring is ideal for bundling multi-component devices into one bubble (without having to manually merge separate components as they’re identified.)

With Dedicated Circuit Monitoring, you can disable the HVAC monitoring and re-enable the integration with a new device in the Summer. Doing so will reset the historic data attached to the old DCM monitored device, but you’ll be able to monitor any large device that you’d want to see more clearly in the summer without having to wait on devices to be identified.

The thing is still showing an error anyway? Guys even if this thing worked it is a cute toy too dependent on your I’d algorithms. If I could I’d something it would be of value but I can’t see waiting 3-4 weeks for a wrong I’d from the algorithm?
I have used AB systems in past on commercial systems and they where of some value. Why would you not have that option?
My heaters are on other circuits and off a sub panel so even if I desired I could not add additional ct s

Without any screenshots, I’m uncertain of what you’re referencing here. Are you still displaying the “bubbles are building” message on the ‘Now’ screen?

I’m unfamiliar with AB systems, so I’m unsure of what you’re referencing here. I’m assuming you are talking about having the ability to “manually” identify devices as they turn on, which is not something we’re pursuing at this time for a variety of reasons that have been discussed at length in these forums.

Seeing your energy use in real-time via the Power Meter is one of the most important tools Sense provides early on while it’s continuing to learn your home. The more times Sense sees your devices cycle through on/off periods, the more informed the device models are that Sense issues to your home. You might get some initial detections that you feel are “off” from the actual behavior of the appliance or device in your home. You can delete these devices, and Sense will try to issue a better model of the device when it receives more data.

If you wanted to know how much energy your HVAC system is consuming instantly, without waiting on device detection, Dedicated Circuit Monitoring would be a great fit. If there are smaller devices you’re trying to detect instantly without waiting on Sense to detect them natively, we integrate with Philips Hue and various smart plugs that enable instant detection as well. I included some information on both below.

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Are you talking about ABB commercial energy monitors ? Very different.

I would like to give the system a fair try if i can get working correctly

It says it has identified a problem with the instalation and is working on it and says to not do anything it is at 50% on the graph and it does not move. It has been hung up for 6 hours. No data on graph is displayed

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Definitely write into support@sense.com - they can usually assist with the installation issues from our end. There is a possibility that Sense will also self-diagnose and fix the installation issue on it’s own, but reaching out to our Support team won’t hurt.

Ok i will
It seemed to work fine for 12 hours

Sent support 2 e mails and no reply
Still off line no change
Poor service says it is on line in settings but home screen say its not

Your Sense monitor can be online, but still stuck in the setup process. That’s typically where the Sense monitor (the orange box) can get stuck at 50% as you are seeing. support@sense.com should get back to you with a fix - they might even be able to do it remotely without you needing to do anything.

ps: Still wondering what the “commercial AB systems” you mentioned is ? Are you talking about ABB commercial energy monitoring ??

It was Allen Bradley sorry it has been a few years. I used it to balance loads on 4 seperate incoming services. I had multiple buss services on each incoming as well as seperate machinery. Was able to save 11% from a million bucks a year by reducing start up load and reducing rate. If i can get your unit going i hope have same luck here as well. Your ideas on id are very cool. I hope they do work well enough to identify. Kinda looking forward to it

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I’m just a user, like you, but have had a Sense for about 4 years now. I have done a few Sense setups and 1 out of the 5 got stuck like you seem to be seeing. Sense support unstuck that setup process.

Thanks - I’ll have to look at the Alan Bradly energy load/usage management stuff. Have some fleeting experience with ABB metering.

Thanks for your help i did not know you where a volunteer. I have 1 plug in heater in a sunroom and an induction in wall unit on an over garage room. I want to evaluate the cost to see if if is favorable to install a mini split in those areas. What is your opinion of this software distinguishing those heater loads from other items and eachother

I don’t have any experience with an induction heater, but do have 5 in-floor heating loops (basic resistance heaters), each run by their own thermostat, so they are all independent based on the floor temp in each room. Sense has found 4 heaters, though it conflates 1 of them with the heating element on my dryer. I also have the whole floor heating subpanel on a Sense DCM (dedicated current monitoring Flex Sensor). Right now, for 2021, the four floor heaters (plus dryer) add up to 1343 kWh. The DCM reading for my panel is 1520kWh. So Sense is missing some of the power usage, as one would expect since it only has 4 of the 5 detections. But not bad considering how confusing my house is.

You are in kinda the same boat. If you are looking to evaluate your resistive floor heating vs a heat pump to heat the same area. As well as knowing your cost /month of the heated area. Lots of other variables true but it can help.
Thank you