The Balance line item for your Vue: Gen 3 Home Energy Monitor plays a crucial role in providing a comprehensive view of your home's energy usage. It calculates the difference between the total energy detected by the 200A main current transformers (CTs) and the sum of energy monitored by the 50A circuit-level CTs. This can be visualized simply as:
Balance = Total Mains Energy (200A CT's combined) - Sum of Circuit Energies (50A CT's, 1 to 16)
If the Balance value appears unusual, it typically points to a discrepancy in sensor measurements. Below, we outline common scenarios that may lead to unexpected Balance values, and provide step-by-step guidance to troubleshoot these issues.
Scenario 1: Balance is Higher Than Expected
A higher-than-expected Balance value most commonly will arise from one (or more) of the following situations:
Missing 50A CT measurements - Double check that all of your sensors that should be on the Home screen circuit list are present. If any CT's/sensors are missing from that list, it will affect Balance since the device isn't measuring the 50A CT usage. See article on how to troubleshoot missing sensors here.
Too much "mains"/Total/Net usage - Double check you're not over-counting the mains w/ 200A CT's. Ensure you have one CT on the live main per phase in your system (i.e. single phase needs only one 200A CT, single-split phase requires 2x, three phase requires 3x 200A CT's on the mains) - and no sensors on any neutral lines. A good sanity check here would be to compare your Total (or Net) usage against your utility provider when possible. If more than 2% different in this comparison, then that may indicate a measurement issue on the main lines.
Under-counting 50A CT measurements - Usually happens if CT's are not covering all breakers and Balance would be expected without all circuits monitored with a 50A CT. Using multipliers in place of sensors here can also cause problems related to Balance and accuracy. Tips on finding good multipliers can be found here.
Scenario 2: Balance Displays in Green
A green Balance value indicates negative numbers, typically resulting from:
Un-monitored solar (solar generation w/o any 50A CT's monitoring) - expected unless you're missing your solar circuit measurements within the app.
Under counting "mains" (200A CT's), not enough 200A CT's (one on each main) or 200A CT's are calibrated incorrectly. Can reach out to Customer Support if needing to diagnose 200A CT measurement accuracy.
Over counting 50A CT's - usually by multipliers, doubling up sensors on circuit wires, or sensors on neutral lines.
Multipliers and Balance Accuracy
Multipliers may cause Balance discrepancies if circuits they represent do not perform uniformly. Since 200A CTs measure direct usage and multipliers estimate un-monitored consumption, inconsistencies can occur. Addressing circuit-specific multiplier use is a critical first step in troubleshooting Balance issues.
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Our knowledge base is continually evolving, and your insights are invaluable to us. If you encounter difficulties or have suggestions for improving our guides, please reach out to our Customer Support team. Together, we aim to enhance your experience and empower you with the knowledge to manage your home energy more efficiently.