I recently installed the Homey Energy Dongle and it’s been a fantastic addition to my smart home setup! It provides excellent insights into my energy consumption, which has been incredibly helpful. However, I encountered a challenge with my solar panels. They frequently shut down on sunny days due to voltage fluctuations in the main power grid—a common issue in certain Dutch regions during peak demand.
I considered connecting my solar panels to a different phase to alleviate the issue, but I needed accurate voltage measurements to confirm if this would be effective. Unfortunately, the Energy Dongle doesn’t collect voltage data directly. After some research, I realized that with the current and power data provided by the dongle, I could calculate the voltage using simple math. However, the current readings were too coarse (in 1A increments) to give reliable results.
I reached out to the community for advice and was pleasantly surprised by the support I received. Someone suggested using an external voltage monitoring device that integrates with Homey. After some experimentation, I found a solution that works perfectly! I now have accurate voltage readings for all three phases, which has been invaluable in optimizing my solar panel setup.
This experience has highlighted the importance of community support in the smart home ecosystem. It’s amazing how sharing challenges and solutions can lead to such positive outcomes. If anyone else is dealing with similar issues or has questions about energy monitoring, I’d be happy to share more details or tips!
Happy smart home tinkering! 