GivEnergy

Getting started with...

Energy monitoring

Getting started with…

Energy monitoring

  • GivEnergy Green Tick
    Energy monitoring gives you useful data on how your property – and its various devices – consume energy
  • GivEnergy Green Tick
    With this data, you can then get the insights you need to cut your energy costs and boost efficiency
  • GivEnergy Green Tick
    Energy monitoring goes hand-in-hand with smart tariffs, plus energy management systems and tools such as solar and storage, EV chargers, and smart plugs
  • GivEnergy Green Tick
    Energy monitoring gives you useful data on how your property – and its various devices – consume energy
  • GivEnergy Green Tick
    With this data, you can then get the insights you need to cut your energy costs and boost efficiency
  • GivEnergy Green Tick
    Energy monitoring goes hand-in-hand with smart tariffs, plus energy management systems and tools such as solar and storage, EV chargers, and smart plugs

Homes and businesses alike are increasingly looking to measure, analyse, and manage their energy consumption. This kind of energy monitoring is essential not only from a cost perspective, but also from a sustainability standpoint.

So, where, and how, can you get started with your energy monitoring journey? We’ve put together a useful guide.

What’s on this page?

01 What is energy monitoring?

Energy monitoring refers to the process of measuring, tracking, and analysing energy usage within a particular system, home, or business. It involves the use of various tools and technologies to collect data on energy usage.

Energy monitoring systems typically consist of sensors, meters, data loggers, and software applications that capture and store energy data. These kind of technologies are often embedded within larger and more holistic energy solutions. So, for example, technologies such as storage batteries, EV chargers, smart plugs, solar and battery inverters (and so on), will typically have smart energy monitoring functionality built-in.

This then gives you both real-time and historical information on energy consumption, demand, peak usage times, and other relevant metrics. You’ll also get handy data visualisations through charts, graphs, and reports.

So, with energy monitoring, you can analyse energy usage trends, identify wasteful practices, and make informed decisions for energy management and conservation.

02 What are the benefits of energy monitoring?

Energy monitoring has a tonne of benefits. These include:

  • Energy efficiency

    By monitoring energy usage, you can identify any inefficiencies and energy-intensive devices or processes. In turn, you can spot areas for improvement. With this knowledge, then, you can implement energy-saving measures that drive efficiency.
  • Cost savings

    With improved energy efficiency also comes energy bill savings. Data visibility means you can see exactly where you’re wasting and spending the most. So, you can adjust your energy usage accordingly. Importantly, you can also identify peak usage times, and avoid costly utility charges by adjusting your behaviour during these expensive periods.
  • Sustainability

    Energy monitoring plays a crucial role in sustainability efforts. With clear access to data, homeowners and businesses alike have the insights needed to reduce their carbon footprint, promote clean energy usage, and set and achieve energy goals.
  • Equipment/device longevity

    Energy monitoring is also useful for checking in on how your devices are performing. You can, for example, detect (and react to) anomalies and issues, or abnormally power-hungry devices.
  • Behavioural changes

    When you start monitoring your energy, you start thinking more about your consumption habits. You start making different – and more informed – decisions. You start acting as an ambassador for energy-saving practices. So, energy monitoring is great for raising and driving behavioural, energy-saving changes.

03 How does my GivEnergy battery storage system help with energy monitoring?

Regardless of capacity and specific model, your GivEnergy battery storage system comprises a battery and an inverter. However, there are also smaller, less obvious, electrical accessories included within this setup that collect data. So, you also get:

  • A meter

    An electrical meter collects data to display energy values and provide monitoring points for the system.
  • Inbuilt WiFi, or a dongle

    Depending on the model of inverter you’re using, you’ll either have in-built WiFi, or a dongle. Either way, this connectivity gives your devices internet access, enabling smart integration and data sharing.

Then, moving beyond hardware like meters, every GivEnergy system also comes with smart energy monitoring and energy management software. This comes in the form of:

  • An in-depth cloud portal

    Offering complete control, up-to-the-minute visibility, and granular data insights.
  • A lightweight energy app

    Built for quick, easy access to your system on the move.

GivEnergy hardware and GivEnergy software remain in a connected feedback loop. So, to communicate with the software, your dongle (or your inbuilt inverter WiFi, depending on your system), pulls key system data such as solar, battery, and grid information from your connected inverter once every 5 minutes.

This data is then sent to the cloud via the home’s WiFi connection or 4G data network. Using this same connection, GivEnergy software is then able to remotely request information from the system or make changes to its settings. (Such as changing what time the battery charges from the grid, for example.)

The GivEnergy app uses a similar method to talk to the inverter locally using the home’s WiFi connection – allowing for lightning fast communication.

All this means that when you buy a GivEnergy battery storage solution, you’re not just getting the physical products. You’re also getting access to a connected, intelligent energy monitoring and energy management system.

04 What about GivEnergy accessory products and energy monitoring?

As we covered a little earlier on this page, your GivEnergy battery storage system comprises a battery and an inverter – with smart energy monitoring built-in. However, we also offer a range of accessory products that also make energy monitoring easy.

  • The GivEnergy smart plug

    When plugged into a GivEnergy smart plug, your electrical devices can then become app-connected. In turn, they can become trackable, remotely manageable, and integrated with your smart home. So, you get a ‘full picture’ view of your various electricals – all centrally controlled from a single screen.
  • The GivEnergy EV charger

    The GivEnergy EV charger is manageable at the tap of an app or click of a mouse. It works as part of your GivEnergy ecosystem, feeding data into the portal and app, and playing nicely with your storage battery, smart tariffs, solar array, etc. So, you can easily monitor your EV’s power needs, and optimise charging around the cheapest, cleanest times.
  • The GivEnergy voltage optimiser

    The National Grid commonly supplies higher voltages than required. So, your appliances get more electricity than they need – which results in waste, wear and tear, and excess costs. Our voltage optimiser provides a smart solution. Using smart energy monitoring functionality, it reduces the voltage supplied from the National Grid to the optimum level. Surplus energy is sent back, and your devices stay protected.

05 What about energy monitoring for third-party products?

GivEnergy software can integrate with many third-party energy technologies, such as:

  • Solar inverters
  • Air source heat pumps
  • Power diverters
  • EV chargers

In these instances, the third party products appear in the portal / app as additional household loads, with all consumption data displayed as standard.

This means that your smart energy monitoring can continue uninterrupted, even if some of your products sit outside of the GivEnergy range.

06 How does energy monitoring work in the GivEnergy portal?

The GivEnergy portal allows you to monitor, manage, and analyse your energy ecosystem in the cloud. So, as part of its energy monitoring enablement, it shows:

  • Power flows

    A visualisation of the power produced and the direction of flow to and from your home
  • Home flows

    Your home flows, including additional products such as EV chargers, smart plug connected devices, etc.
  • Smart tariffs

    Your tariff price vs estimated cost per day, week, month and year.
  • Power graphs

    Your solar, home, battery, and grid usage in an easy-to-read format.
  • Inverter status

    View and control your smart home storage system.
  • Solar power forecast

    Predict your solar generation for the next 7 days with SOLCAST-compatible integrated solar forecasting.
  • Weather integration

    Receive real-time weather forecasts to plan your future energy usage.

In short, you get full visibility on your home and how it uses energy – on both an overall level and in granular detail.

07 How does energy monitoring work in the GivEnergy mobile app?

The GivEnergy app allows for quick, easy energy monitoring via your smartphone. You can monitor and manage your energy usage – as well as making any ad-hoc changes.

The app works with your whole home, offering data on:

  • Inverter power stats
  • How much energy is going in and out of the home
  • Your home battery and its state of charge
  • The energy generated by any renewables in place
  • The latest information about your EV
  • Grid imports and exports
  • Your smart tariff and estimated prices
  • Smart-plug connected electrical appliances
  • Overall energy consumption

So, between the GivEnergy portal and the GivEnergy app, you have easy access to your energy data.

GivEnergy app screenshots

08 How regularly does my data update?

Your data is updated on a 5-minute basis. GivEnergy software pulls key system data – such as solar, battery, and grid information – from your connected inverter once every 5 minutes. This happens in the background while your system continues working.

09 Do you also offer commercial energy monitoring?

Absolutely. As well as home battery storage systems, we also offer commercial systems. And, as you might expect from your earlier reading on this page, these commercial systems also come with advanced data and energy monitoring services.

Data from commercial systems are reported to the GivEnergy cloud. You get:

  • Broad power and energy values
  • Granular data such as cell voltages and pack temperatures
  • Mode selection
  • Timed control
  • Full remote monitoring
  • API access, to allow integration into other systems and services

10 Can I integrate my smart tariff with my energy management ecosystem?

GivEnergy and Octopus

GivEnergy systems are built to work perfectly with smart tariffs like Octopus Agile and Economy 7 meters. Our batteries take advantage of smart tariffs to charge when energy is cheapest and greenest, and discharge during expensive peak hours.

Your smart tariff will also integrate into your energy monitoring software, with the option to view your tariff price vs estimated cost per day, week, month and year.

So, your system, your software, and your smart tariffs all work together as one holistic ecosystem.

How it works

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