One of the features available to have multiple devices work together is called Nesting. This feature allows multiple Gen 2's (or other devices) be organized and have them share together in the app for a unified view of system usage. It is designed to aggregate data from devices that are monitoring the same usage rather than independent services.
Situations where Nesting is helpful:
1.) Main/sub panel relationships with Gen 2's in each location.
2.) Multiple Gen 2's in a shared panel (to capture more than 16x circuits)
3.) When Smart Plugs or EV Chargers are measuring usage already monitored with a Gen 2.
4.) Nesting a Gen 2 under a Utility Connect where the Utility Connect is capturing system mains, and Gen 2 is capturing circuit level details.
Do I need 200A CT's on a nested Gen 2?
Depends a bit. If you have two Gen 2's installed in the same panel and nesting the second under the first there - then you will want to skip 200A CT's on that second device since your panel mains are captured by the first device. If installing in a sub-panel or similar downstream location, then the 200A CT's are optional. They're designed to track any "mains" that would be upstream from the 50A CT's on the same device. So they can be used to track your total sub-panel usage and calculations will still be displayed correctly within the application, but wouldn't be necessary. Even less of a concern if you do not care about the sub-panel totals or if you're monitoring everything in the sub-panel with 50A CT's.
Main and Subpanel Example:
In this example below, we'll imagine a Gen 2 installed in the "main panel" as well as another Gen 2 installed in a downstream "sub panel". Both Gen 2's will have 200A CT's attached, Main Panel has 7x 50A CT's attached and Sub Panel has 4x. In this situation the sub panel will be fed from the main panel's circuit breakers. Given their relationship to each other, the 200A CT's on the main panel device capturing the main panel's mains will see the sub panel usage that is also detected by the sub panel's 200A CT's. To prevent double counting as well as organizing the devices for a more logical listing in the app, we'll nest the sub panel underneath the main panel from within the app.
Before we get into instructions on how to nest devices together, we've installed both Gen 2's in their respective panels as per the installation guides. The completed install should look something like this:
Once they're setup and running, we should see listings similar to these from within the app:
In this layout, both devices are separated in the app and considered "standalone".
How to Nest a device under another:
Select Menu (☰) in top left corner
Select Manage Devices
Select the device you want to nest (the downstream device)
Select Vue Info
Use the drop-down labeled Nest Under to select the main device and select Save
Once the setting has been saved - the two devices should be organized on the Home screen like such:
In this example, you can see the Example Sub Panel device injected into the Example Main Panel devices' circuit list. The Example Main Panel will use the nested devices' circuit measurements to calculate more accurate Balance and percentage values shown. The 200A CT measurements for the Example Sub Panel device are shown in the 14.331kW value to the right of the device name in the list. Each sensor also has its respective percentage displayed as a percent of the Total Usage as detected by the 200A CT's on the Example Main Panel device.
Where should I nest my device under?
You'd only need to nest a device under a specific circuit if that circuit line is already monitored with a 50A CT. In most situations you'd nest under the "mains" (including sub-panels), but the ability to nest under a single 50A CT circuit line/measurement is possible.
How to install the second Gen 2 in the same panel?
If you need to monitor more circuits and you're adding a second Gen 2 to the same panel where you already have a Gen 2 Energy Monitor, you can use the same breakers and pigtail the wire harness together.
Feedback and Suggestions
This knowledge base is pretty new for the Emporia team. Our goal is to provide all of the information we can to help you manage your energy in better ways. If this article wasn't helpful, or we could be more clarifying on any points please reach out to the Customer Support team and we'll certainly work to improve these guides.