by Stacey McCuaig | May 24, 2022 | Blog
How Your Home Electrical System Works
In people’s houses, electricity is one of the essential resources. It controls the lighting, heating, and cooling systems and charges the necessary mobile phones. Understanding how your home electrical system works is vital if anything goes wrong or if you, as a homeowner want to make improvements. With so many intricate and critical components, residential electrical work is best left to skilled specialists who know how to install, repair and maintain electrical equipment safely and efficiently.
Everyone uses energy in their homes daily, but how does it arrive, and how is it distributed? To work effectively, electricity must always complete a circuit.
Electricity travels from one 120-volt wire to a neutral wire that is grounded. A defect in the cables leading to and from these spots could disrupt the flow of electricity and create a malfunction in one of your circuits.
Knowing how electricity enters your property, how it is linked, and how it is dispersed will assist you in isolating potential issues.
The transformer is fed by the utility company’s overhead service wires to reduce the voltage for your residence. It is then transported to the weatherhead (service head), linked to a conduit leading to the meter box. Pipe and wire weight is supported by anchor bolts and straps connected to this system.
Two 120-volt cables and a grounded neutral wire feed the meter through the weather head. The utility provider is responsible for providing electricity to the meter, after which the homeowner assumes responsibility.
The service from the utility provider to the meter is always active until a technician physically disconnects it. If there seems to be a problem on their meter side, don’t hesitate to contact the utility provider to resolve the issue. They have specialized tools for such repairs. Never try to work on the other party’s side of the meter!
Residential Electrical System Operation
The overhead service line will enter the weatherhead and then go to the meter via the conduit. The subterranean kind is brought to the meter via a pipe from its buried position.
After leaving the meter, the wire enters the home’s breaker box. This is often referred to as the service panel or service. Within the breaker box, the energy is distributed to smaller lines that go to different areas of the residence. Some may flow to a subpanel, which provides additional circuits for various home services.
Inside the service panel, each smaller line is provided with a circuit breaker. This is a particular sort of switch that disconnects immediately if anything tries to consume more power than it can manage. Following the circuit breaker, energy passes via the home’s wiring to the areas where it will be used.
Wiring transports electricity to the home’s appliances and electrical boxes. These are equipped with either switches, outlets, or junctions. Junctions are sites where electricity is routed in two or more separate directions, ultimately terminating in a plug or switch. This is where the user plugs something in or switches something on to activate the system.
The electric meter is often located on the side of your home and is linked to the service entry pipe. It may also be hooked to the utility company’s utility pole. It may be supplied from above or below ground.
A meter is a watt-measuring gadget provided by the utility provider to monitor monthly energy usage. You can also monitor your electricity usage in real-time with a home energy monitor. There are analog meters with numbered dials like a watch and modern digital meters that may be read remotely from the headquarters of the electric provider.
The electrical service panel is the principal distribution point for supplying power to the home’s switches, outlets, and appliances. The service panel, located near the electric meter, is fitted with breakers or fuses that cut power to the circuits in the event of an electrical system breakdown.
Wires are used to link an electrical system to the earth through grounding. Grounding provides vital protection against electric shock and electrocution by providing a third channel for carrying energy in the case of a short circuit or overload utilizing a grounding rod. Grounding will assist in safeguarding the individual working on the system, the system itself, and any connected appliances and equipment.
If you are uncomfortable working on your home’s electrical system, you should not hesitate to contact a professional. However, if your system is experiencing issues, you may be able to determine the reason readily and do minor repairs.
– Maggie Bloom, Guest Writer
by Avi Weissman | Feb 28, 2022 | Blog, Electricity Bill, Energy Reduction
Electricity is a utility that we frequently take for granted. We often don’t consider the importance or level of usage in our day-to-day lives. Eyedro has set out to ensure that consumers are able to quantify the cost of their electricity and monitor its use. There are multiple reasons to monitor your electricity usage, discover four of those below and check out our electricity monitoring technology today.
Identify Inefficiencies
One of the main benefits of monitoring the electricity usage in your home is being able to find out where you might be inefficient. Identifying energy hogs and energy use habits are the first steps towards addressing your home energy inefficiencies. With MyEyedro cloud data, you can view your real-time energy use data from wherever you are.
Financial Benefits
When it comes to your electricity bill, it can be difficult to ascertain where your money is going. When you utilize an Eyedro system to monitor your electricity usage, you will be able to see exactly where your hard earned dollars are being spent. This will also allow you to address specific problem areas and save you money in the process. With MyEyedro Bills data and automated Reports you will be able to see how your energy saving efforts are paying off over time.
Awareness
It is very easy to go through the day without paying any attention to the amount of electricity that we use. When you utilize a home electricity monitor from Eyedro, you will be able to observe and calculate the electrical impact that you make every day. Being aware of your energy footprint allows you to make changes to your usage patterns that may help you conserve energy and money.
Understanding Appliances
You would be surprised at how easily old appliances can make up most of your energy bill. Those old incandescent bulbs in your kitchen or that rickety air conditioning unit can contribute greatly to increasing your utility payments. Identifying problematic appliances allows you the opportunity to address everyday devices that might be draining your wallet. With MyEyedro on-the-go cloud data you can monitor your electricity usage in real time and then make changes to save money – Track, React, Save!
Track, React, Save Money!
We have presented you with 4 Reasons to Monitor Your Electricity Usage – can you think of any others?
Electricity is a utility that we can frequently take for granted. We often don’t consider the importance or level of usage in our day-to-day lives. Eyedro has set out to ensure that consumers are able to quantify the cost of their electricity and monitor its use. Learn about the benefits of monitoring electricity below and check out our electricity monitoring technology today.
by Stacey McCuaig | Jul 24, 2019 | Blog, Eyedro Hardware
EYEFI-3
Voltage Monitoring 120/208 to 600/690V
Power Factor and True Power Values
Amperage Range 5A – 3000A
Directional Sensing – Solar/Net Metering Ready
Contact Eyedro Sales: sales@eyedro.com
Three Phase Voltage Selection in MyEyedro
by Stacey McCuaig | Jan 18, 2019 | Blog, Net Zero Home
EYEFI – Electricity Monitoring for the NET ZERO Home
Power Consumed vs. Power Generated
Real-Time Data
Configurable reports
*EYEFI-4 Model shown, Installs in minutes
Benefits of monitoring with Eyedro?
- True Power measurement
- Commercial, industrial, institutional and residential
- Measure and Display PF, Voltage, Current, Power
- Track Money generated with Solar panels
- Get Alerts when system is off-line
Eyedro Net Metering Example:
Product Features:
Responsive web interface – (MyEyedro.com) on any modern browser
Live and Summary view – See power usage and cost streaming in real-time
Bill view – See estimate of electrical bill for current and historical billing periods for any day of the month
Sensor options – 5Amp – 3000Amp
Managed Services include:
Manage multiple systems – Add any number of devices to your account.
Manage multiple sites – Add a number of buildings to your account and assign devices to any sites.
Reports – Have configurable reports delivered directly to your inbox at configurable intervals.
Alerts – Be notified of power or network failures, if demand or consumption exceeds thresholds (above or below), and more.
Custom web interfaces – Have your company Branded on the web interfaces and custom URLs are available.
API– Integrate measurement data into your own Dashboard with our Application Programming Interface
Export – Data can be exported from any point in time into CSV for further analysis
See how easy it is to get up and running with EYEFI with this short Eyedro WiFi connection video
120V /60Hz and 230V/ 50Hz EYEFI models available – shop now!
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by Stacey McCuaig | Jun 7, 2017 | Product Review, Testimonial
Eyedro Product Review: Wireless Home Electricity Monitor
Eyedro product review – here is what Paul King, editor at pocketables.com has to say about Eyedro’s Wireless Home Electricity Monitor:
“The Eyedro Wireless Home Electricity Monitor is a device that lets you monitor your electricity use by the minute from a web page. There’s also a wired version of the Eyedro Home Electricity Monitor should you wish to save $60 that appears to be the same equipment and service, and they have a version more suited to businesses, but I’m reviewing the wireless flavor.
You can access the info on any device with a modern browser, and if you have an Echo you can ask Alexa what your energy usage is.”
To see Paul’s full Eyedro product review: Eyedro Wireless Home Electricity Monitor review
