How to Install an Energy Monitor If You Have Solar Power

To get the most out of your solar panels it's critical that you understand your energy usage. Many people who fail to monitor their energy usage end up with high electricity bills, even if they have solar power installed.

We sell several electricity monitors that can be used if you have solar panels. Our two most popular choices are:

1. Powerpal - in most cases this device tracks your NET power consumption from the grid only. Powerpal is your simplest option. It can be self-installed (no electrician required), but what it tracks is limited. 
2. Efergy Elite - can be used to track total household consumption and solar power production (if you buy two kits). This option gives you more visibility but will require an electrician for installation.

This guide focuses on the installation process you'll need to follow for the Efergy Elite or any similar energy monitor. The Efergy Elite has three components:

1. Screen - A display screen that shows data from one transmitter. It can be placed anywhere inside your home.
2. Transmitter(s) - These go inside your meter box and are battery-powered (3 x AA batteries each).
3. CT Sensor Clamps - These plug into the transmitters and measure the power usage.

Solar Energy Monitor - Simplified Wiring Diagram

Important: Do not assume your electrician will automatically know exactly how this product works. There's a good chance they will not.

It's typically a quick job for an electrician to fit the sensor clamps at your meter board. However, they must be informed of the correct installation locations to ensure the readings are correct.

• Position 1 = Power Consumption Only ("Load Only").
• Position 2 = Solar Power Production Only.

These wireless energy monitors cannot sense the direction of current flow, only the total amount going through the cable.

For this reason, you need to ensure the clamps are installed correctly on the 'power consumption only' and 'solar production only' cables.

If you install a sensor on the 'NET' side of your main switch, the readings won't make any sense. This is because whether you are importing 400 Watts or exporting 400 Watts it will just read "400 Watts" - which isn't very helpful.

Example Switchboards With Solar Power

Example of a correct single phase house & solar installation. The clamps (shown behind the board) are on the 'load only' side of the main switch and the 'solar only' side of solar supply main switch.

In some cases, a small amount of re-wiring of the switchboard is required to enable the correct installation outcome.

In the following example, the top of the main breaker was used as a junction. This makes it tricky to separately measure solar (first red cable) and usage (all the other cables).

When this occurs, an electrician can move some junction points to other breakers. This should leave you with just two wires connected to the load side of the main breaker: 'solar only' and 'load only.'

Example of an electrical switchboard which required minor modification by an electrician before installation of the sensor clamps. 

Did you get the right number of sensor clamps?

At your electricity meter board, take a look at both the 'Main Switch' and 'Solar Main Switch'. Using the image below as a guide you should be able to see which type you have for House (Main Switch) and Solar (Solar Main Switch).

Single phase (single pole) main switch on left vs. three phase (three pole) main switch on right.

Each transmitter can take up to three CT sensor clamps. If you need to purchase extra parts, see our extra transmitter and 10mm CT sensor clamp pages.