App Profile: Emporia Energy

Bryan Whitfield

Rating: 5/5

App keeps getting better! Last update included Amps unit! Hardware is best value on the market right now. My power panel is a long way from my router so the hardware would not stay connected. After working with Marty in customer support, it was determined that my Wi-Fi was too weak at that location. I independently verified this diagnosis with WiFi SweetSpot app and worked to upgrade my network. I tried a couple of Wi-Fi repeater/extenders but they still caused connectivity issues. I resolved all connectivity issues when adding Xfinity XFi Pods (mesh). Mesh is the way to go. Solved connectivity issues I had with a remote Ring doorbell also. I use two of the eight current sensors to monitor the power supplied by my 16 Kw Generac whole house standby generator. Since it auto starts, when we are not home, I can now see when and how long the generator ran. It would be useful if emporia could ID generator sensors, send an alert when power supply transfers to the generator and allow an alternative energy cost (based on natural gas cost & generator efficiency) when the generator runs. I look forward to future improvements!

Data_Dreamer

Rating: 5/5

At half the price of the competitor that relies on a poorly executed algorithm instead of CTs for each circuit, the Vue 2 is the solution that actually makes sense ;) It was easy to install and configure. There are some tweaks I’d like to see but what really blew me away was the customer support. You can download the app and play with it in demo mode. If you have a question you can chat with someone in app. And they actually know what they’re talking about. I reached out after installing for some feature requests (one of which they were already working on) and had another good chat. Judging by the version history it looks like they are updating the app monthly. I’m excited to see where this goes. I love it so much I bought two so I can monitor every circuit in my panel.

Irrational Exuberance

Rating: 4/5

The emporia app and the hardware is surprisingly polished at the price point they’re sold at. I’m not a fan of how the app prominently puts buttons in the main screen that most of us are unlikely to ever use. For example, the App main menu prominently shows lots of device control line items for appliances, plugs, etc. even if none of these devices have been added to the system. Meanwhile, day-to-day menus are comparatively neglected. Do better. If a consumer only measures power, then focus the app around that use case. Homes with multiple panels cannot consolidate all the panels into one home re: local power consumption. Only nesting within panels is supported. Also, weirdly, a lot of the functions like local electricity rates, etc. cannot be set from inside the App. Solar panels allegedly producing 30w in the middle of the night, every night, suggest that the algorithms and precision of the system have improvement opportunities. Lastly, the developers do not seem to have focused on ensuring that measurements are gathered / presented coincident in the App. Turn on and turn off heavy loads in a nested sub panel to watch your home allegedly produce power excesses, as the app struggles to understand where the it’s measuring power is actually going. In summary, a lot of first world problems, as the hardware and App do allow the homeowner to start focusing on loads that make a significant difference re: home power consumption.