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Scottish Power Unifi - GEO (Ensemble) Energy Monitor

C

Cancunia

Member
Just wondered on the off chance if anyone has one of these? I've been trying to understand the data that the Internet Bridge posts to the Intamac website via HTTP post. I can see the MAC address alright in the post data, but no real clues beyond that.

Any thoughts?

Thanks
 
The data could be encrypted for privacy. (They are probably obliged to encrypt it to pass the data protection requirements, or at least to be able to reassure worried public.)
 
Sorry, I should have mentioned that I've used Wireshark to look at the HTTP Posts. The data that's being sent starts with the MAC address and then has a number of fields of varying sizes. From the looks of things the data is not encrypted, just encoded.
 
Cancunia said:
Just wondered on the off chance if anyone has one of these? I've been trying to understand the data that the Internet Bridge posts to the Intamac website via HTTP post. I can see the MAC address alright in the post data, but no real clues beyond that.

Any thoughts?

Thanks
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Can you explain more about this? Is it a monitor for gas too? Most of my expense is gas usage, one reason I don't have an electricity monitor. Apart from replacing appliances (dishwasher, tumble drier, washing machine, etc) I can't do much to improve electricity consumption.

Having a live online feed of gas and electricity usage sounds fun, though. Does anyone sell gadgets to do that?
 
Ezra Pound said:
I think the monitor in #1 is electricity only, however smart gas monitors do exist link HERE
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I see EDF are trialling them in London. Looking on YouTube, they don't work too well if you own solar panels!

As a thought, if you are not water metered, why not use mains water to generate electricity? You just need a turbine! :)
 
Mike0001 said:
if you are not water metered, why not use mains water to generate electricity? You just need a turbine! :)
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You can bet there will be a local by-law preventing you doing that. There was a guy some years ago (pre-Dragons Den) who invented a water powered paint roller cleaner, he was told that water companies would not allow it's use because he was not allowed to use water pressure to power things. Come to think of it, some garden sprinklers should fall under the same rule
 
I use E.On for both my gas & electricity. Last year I was contacted and asked if I would like to have Smart meters installed. Being a bit of a geek, at said yes. Free of charge of course.

Installation for both meters took less 2 hours. Included in 'the package' is a Smart meter monitor.

The gas meter is linked via Bluetooth to the electricity meter. It is the electricity meter that has the GSM mobile connection to 'the outside world'.

The Smart meter monitor is also linked to the electricity meter by Bluetooth, but it does require its very own 'wall-wart' for power. The monitor, as its name implies, gives real-time indication of gas/electricity consumption, plus a graph showing previous usage.

It also features a traffic light system, Red, Yellow and Green which denoted the level of ELECTRICITY being consumed real-time. I find that most useful as its red when the tumble dryer is on and changes to yellow or green when it has finished it's cycle. As the dryer is in our garage, it saves me the effort of checking to see if I can get the washing out!!!
 
Wallace said:
I find that most useful as its red when the tumble dryer is on and changes to yellow or green when it has finished it's cycle.
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I thought that the idea was to dissuade people from using stuff like that.

But of course, all else being equal, any reduction in consumption of electricity will be met with a hike in prices to keep the company's massive profits sustainable.

Same with the new tariff business. If the people who are being ripped off at the moment, thus subsidising the more astute, all switch to the cheapest tariff, again prices will go up for the more astute for the same reason as in para 2.
 
Yes Trev, I agree. I don't really like using the tumble drier either but needs must. It's either that or hanging the clothes on the radiators in the house which is an even bigger no-no for me.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD
 
I was told by our meter reader that smart meters rely on mobile phone technology, and as such because of the mobile signal coverage around here (rural) we were unlikly to have one fitted for quite some time.
 
Yes, that's right. The electricity meter has a SIM inside. The engineer did a signal strength test before he started the installation. One thing that I found out after they were fitted is that the supply company can send a signal that will shut down both meters if they wish. For none bill payment etc... I suppose I better keep paying the bill then! They don't even have to send anyone round to cut you off any more.
 
I have to take my own readings most of the time because the reading companies say they cant find us, I once went 2 years without a reader. Strange how the bill always finds me tho.:disagree:
 
The "Post Brenhinol" are obviously better at finding addresses than the meter readers are, so they manage to deliver bills to you.:)
 
Black Hole said:
Energy is required to evaporate water, wherever the energy comes from!
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Good point! Does that mean that drying stuff on an airer and using a tumble drier are roughly equally costly if you heat your house with electricity?

All sorts of issues:

* The tumble drier draws air from inside and expels it outside unless it is a condenser model.
* Gas CH is much cheaper than electric CH, so with gas CH the airer would have an edge.
* How do you cope with all the damp and condensation problems using an airer? Open a window and let cold air in?
* Do you use a clothesline? I am not keen on going back there!
 
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