topic Re: Monitoring energy usage live in Managing Your Energy

Monitoring energy usage live

Karen1 — Wed, 30 Jan 2019 05:20:15 GMT

Hi,

We have just installed solar panels and AGL have installed a smart meter. How can I monitor the energy usage live (either on an app or my computer)? I have downloaded the AGL App but it only updates after 48 hours

Re: Monitoring energy usage live

jayden_AGL — Wed, 30 Jan 2019 21:47:07 GMT

Hi Karen1,

Welcome to the AGL Community!

I'm sorry to say that we're not currently offering any software that'll allow you to keep up to date with your energy import/export in real time. As you've mentioned, your AGL My Account and app are free services available to you that'll show you data as of approximately 24-48 hours ago.

It may be worth conducting a quick Google search to see if the manufacturer of your solar inverter offer their own software as this is often the case these days!

Kind regards,

Jayden

Re: Monitoring energy usage live

aletheia — Fri, 31 Jan 2020 05:17:04 GMT

Hi Jayden

I read about solar command check, is this no longer available?

I thought with smart meter we are able to see live usage and hence decide whether to go with fixed or timed tariff.

Also, my meter was just changed yesterday, so when can I start seeing the usage details on the app?

thanks

Re: Monitoring energy usage live

-Nam- — Mon, 03 Feb 2020 01:47:26 GMT

Hi aletheia!

Welcome to AGL Community!

You can contact our Solar team about the Command Check service, you can contact them directly on 1300 377 118.

Once your metering details have been updated, your My Account will also be updated. This can sometimes take a week or so for it to be updated.

Kind regards,

-Nam-

Re: Monitoring energy usage live

NeilC — Mon, 30 Mar 2020 02:40:53 GMT

@aletheia

Although there is no technical reason as to why you cannot see your smart meter readings live to the the best of my knowledge no-one supplies the data live.

The best you seem to be able to get from AGL is about 24-72 hours.

My electricity supplier is normally only 24-36 hours behind but this dependent on when AGL supplies them with the Data.

The data is supplied in a Comma Separated Values format which can easily viewed in any spread sheet application.

AGL format

Above you can see a sample of the file from AGL showing our usage from our smart meter.

Solar is the the amount (for the last half hour) that we put back on the grid.

Generalusage is the the amount consumed from the grid.

Controlled Load (or Off Peak) is the amount taken from the grid.

Viewing the data does not mean that you can actually use the data.

Your electricity supply company, (this is the company that you pay your supply fee to), should be able to supply you a file in the NEM format which if you understand it, is easier to extract the data from, while the file supplied by AGL is basically the raw data as supplied by your Smart Meter and is very hard to convert into usable data.

I have been decoding my data for over a year now and can produce reports in less than one minute after downloading the data either from AGL or my Supplier.

I only use my data to calculate the amount of money I have to pay in advance (a fortnightly payment) so as to avoid bill shock.

I can, however, if I desire, produce reports based on consumption per half hour usage, per meter, for up to the last two years of usage.

Brief report

Above is a general report, drastically cut down, that shows usage for four days at six hourly intervals.

The reporting info is for the whole report and shows my last day info, my current meter readings and the average daily usage for the the reporting period.

Cheers

Neil

Re: Monitoring energy usage live

Igor — Sun, 13 Dec 2020 03:26:41 GMT

Hi NeilC,

it’s great to see you’ve been able to make sense the data.

I am still confused with the lack of data provided by the energy supplier or Inverter mainly due to the difficulty in calculating amount of data used from my solar system BEFORE my energy surplus was sold to AGL.
From the AGL data file I am able to see energy consumption / bought from grid, surplus energy sold to grid.
Also from Fronius app I can get amount of solar I generated, however not sure how to calculate amount of solar consumed vs sold to AGL. I am assuming my solar system which connected 12 months ago is a Net system.

I appreciate for any ideas. Thanks

Re: Monitoring energy usage live

Kathrynlambkin — Thu, 10 Jun 2021 03:11:00 GMT

The Huawei FusionSolar app in the huwawei app store was allowing me to see real time usage and real time feed into the grid. However with the recent upgrade this feature has been dropped. I've asked my supplier Resinc Solar to follow up with huwawei.

Re: Monitoring energy usage live

Wright526 — Mon, 07 Mar 2022 04:13:50 GMT

I thought with smart meter we are able to see live usage and hence decide whether to go with fixed or timed tariff. Also, my meter was just changed yesterday, so when can I start seeing the usage details on the app? sky light pay card

Re: Monitoring energy usage live

NeilC — Fri, 04 Mar 2022 08:46:19 GMT

@Wright526

Seeing live data is a confusing subject.

I live in SA and get my live data from SA Power Networks at around 06:00 (6 am) each day.

I can download the file and obtain data from it very easily.

Now with AGL you can download the RAW data (30 minute increments) but this can take from 14 hours after midnight or up to to 36 or 48 hours for any one day.

It is up to you, to then decode the data and extract the relevant data that you desire.

If you are reasonable familiar with spreadsheets, your Supplier should be able to supply you with a NEM format file (this is a file that shows your daily usage in 30min row format)

From that it is easy to extract the columns with the usage details.

Now AGL cannot show you that data because your Supplier sets the relevant time periods.

AAARG you are saying?

AGL is your RETAILER your SUPPLIER is the company that owns the wires that delivers your electricity (hence the SUPPLY Charge).

You may also get more confused because AGL is also a GENERATOR.

I would suggest that you really look into TARIFFS before deciding.

TOU stands for Time Of Use, you pay less for NON PEAK HOURS and get a double whammy for your peak hours usage.

I suggest you go to https://www.energymadeeasy.gov.au/

You need to take your time and digest all the data.

You can compare plans etc but make sure you read how your are been billed.

Hope this helps, but just don't jump in without understanding the plan.

If you like my reply, please click the like button

Cheers

Neil

Re: Monitoring energy usage live

HaterOfBills — Fri, 06 Sep 2024 00:47:35 GMT

Well AGL, maybe you should offer live monitoring of power usage, especially in this day and age. It would make it so much easier for people who have appliances that are chewing excess power, or water heaters that are about to die, to then diagnose the issue and get it resolved before it costs them an arm and a leg.

Re: Monitoring energy usage live

Lester — Fri, 06 Sep 2024 01:25:56 GMT

AGL simply don't have the live data, they get it from the energy supplier, it seems at around the time we are able to obtain the data end of the following day.

Even then, the last 30 min interval is estimated until next days data is out, and usually there is a minor discrepancy that is by then corrected.

Here in SA we only have one energy supplier (SAPN), and a consumer can have access to their portal via a login and see their raw data, which is very different to what you can download from the AGL usage page.

Not all energy suppliers have this sort of access, some you need to contact and have the file emailed out to you.

The suppliers are required (by law) to keep 2 years of data on a rolling basis available on request, but it is a lot easier to disseminate the AGL file available to all consumers with aGL and that have a digital meter.

This post was more regarding monitoring of live solar / usage data, and was posted back in January 2019.

Systems back then might have had a way to get this info from the inverter, some may have had apps or website access, others an led digital readout panel you could read, but now, we are lucky to have most good solar systems having their own app, most with desktop computer access via a web login too, and be able to see real time production and usage figures.

Re: Monitoring energy usage live

NeilC — Fri, 06 Sep 2024 12:10:03 GMT

Hi all,

You can monitor your usage using your smart meter, there are hidden menus that allow you to see the instantaneous reading.

Now the only problem with that is you have to be home at the time.

With most INVERTERS these days you can see a graph of your output at any time you wish to view it (from any where in the world).

Of course this is only possible if you have it connected to your home network...

Now AGL are getting better at giving you up to date data, in SA the usage from the MY ACCOUNT PAGE is normally up to date (minus the last half hour of each day for SA Users) by about 15:00 hours Central TIME for South Aussie users.

You then have to decode the data.

SAPowerNetworks supplies a NEM format file by about 06:30 (SA Time) but this is in the 5 minute format requested by AGL and is in EASTERN STANDARD TIME (always) which is why when you look at the clock on your smart meter it is not always correct (except in Qld as they do not have DST).

Now if you had access to the real time data (which you do if you are staring at your smart meter) how are you going to work out which Item is using the power at that time.

You can purchase systems that can measure the current in every wire in your house, in a simple form it can measure the current going through each circuit breaker in your house.

Most houses have about 7 breakers and this costs around $5000 dollars to install.

Now if one breaker has higher usage, HOW DO YOU KNOW WHAT THE OFFENDING DEVICE IS....

I can go on and on about this but unless you are a very savvy person you have "Buckley's Chance" of working it out.

If you are worried about your electricity usage, buy a device that allows you to measure the electricity at your power point and review every power point in your house.

Change your hot-water service to a heat pump and most of them allow you to set the start and stop times.

Heat your house to a maximum of 20deg and cool it to 26deg.

Invest in insulation in your roof, invest in roof top solar ( you get a return for 20 years or more), DON'T WASTE ELECTRICITY, spend less time in the shower (saves water and electricity/gas).

We monitor our usage daily using the info from the AGL web site, our expected Quarterly bill for electricity is $114, but our expected water bill for the same period will be $201 (using meter reads).