Sense FLEX Home Energy Monitor

The Sense monitor is an amazing device. Having used a live power monitor for 10+ years (the Current Cost EnvIR), Sense takes this to the next level. Highly accurate - to the point where it can "see" the microwave door opening because the light comes on, even with the device not running.Because it ties into the electrical panel using 2 breaker slots, it monitors L1 and L2 voltage and can detect and report power spikes, floating neutral and motor stall conditions using some of the Sense Labs features. It uses AI to learn and associate devices in your home to their detected electrical "signatures", and has learned the majority of frequently-used devices in mu house in the first 30 days.I also added several compatible "smart plugs" that support energy monitoring to monitor specific devices even more accurately and to control them from within the app.It can be configured to warn you if a sump pump hasn't run recently (if expected to run), or whether you may have left the oven on. So it can add to home safety in addition to energy monitoring and identifying power saving opportunities.Highly recommended!

Like many others I had high hopes. I do a lot of research when purchasing things to make the best informed decision. As a matter of fact, this Sense Flex was replacing another energy monitor that came with the ATS Panel from Generac. The Generac PWRView was flawless at matching my utility companies numbers, but the software was garbage. This led me to purchase the Sense Flex. Based on the reviews online and Sense's advancement in AI, my educated decision was to go with Sense Flex... and from there it goes downhill:To start... I get the unit, open up my panel and install the device per the instructions. For install with a generator the diagram clearly shows the Flex CT Clamps on the utility side (service main) before the ATS and the main CT Clamps between the ATS and the load. Then we get to the written instructions which say to clamp the main CT clamps to the service main. Welp ... the diagram shows the Flex CT clamps connected to the service main but in writing they tell you to use the main CT clamps... Moving along! Next in writing they say that you need to connect the Flex CT to the "service line" which they show in the picture as the service main. But wait, they also say that you can connect to the generator lines that feed the ATS. Well those are completely different lines. So which is it? Well come to find out after extensive shuffling around in the panel the Main CT's need to go between the ATS and the Load and the Flex CT's need to go between the generator and the ATS. If it's any different you either get a reading of 0 or it thinks the generator is always on. To make everything so much more interesting, every time you reconfigure the CT clamps you have to data reset otherwise the device doesn't realize that you've moved things around.So now that we got the install sorted out... Time to watch the magic, or in my case, the lack of magic. Once the device is installed it's supposed to go through a signal detection phase where it starts at 0% and works its way up. Two days later I'm still stuck at 0. So I contact support. That was useless because 2 more days and there's no reply. The "community" forum is active with employees almost every hour, they are all over twitter, but it appears that no one can help you when you file a tech ticket. So I go to subscribe to the forum because that's where everyone is. Welcome to the forum, where you can't post anything until we "trust" you will be a good citizen of our lovely forum which could take days. They actually send you a message stating that when you sign up. So, strike 2. Let me call them, nope, they don't have a phone number. Strike 3, I'm done.So here I am analyzing the data to see if there's something I missed and I start to compare the Sense to the utility company. My raw numbers are way off. So I look in the Sense app and see that one of my CT clamps reports 0. I go out to the panel, give it a tap with my fist, and off we go reporting numbers again... until tomorrow, rinse and repeat. So do I have a defective CT? Maybe, let me add that to my ticket that no one will reply to. Done. Wait some more, move the clamp a few more times, no tech support. So now I can't even get an accurate reading as to basic electrical usage. This is pure khW used in a day. Even the last monitor was able to get the baseline number right.Since I received no tech support, no community support and apparently a defective product I've ordered a new one and we'll see how it works when I get it. My hopes aren't so high anymore. I'll report back with updates once I receive the new unit. Many of the reviews on here are post install when they have reporting and detection issues. I haven't been able to get that far, so I'll have more to report in due time.

I purchased 2 of these units, one for each of two homes. FIRST: Each device has to be on its own account, you cannot have them both on the same account. SECOND: When setting them up, BOTH TIMES I got a message "cannot talk to server" (even though the self-test passed and said all network comms were good for BOTH units). I had to e-mail tech support, they said "your unit was previously associated with another e-mail address". Really? This tends to suggest that the units I got were previously used. I find this unsatisfactory.I purchased both of these units with extra probes. One set for solar, and one for a dedicated hot tub circuit at the other house. In BOTH cases, NEITHER DEVICE would recognize the load on the second set of probes. About 2 days later, the unit installed with solar finally self-recognized the solar panel circuit and started working. However, despite following the instructions exactly, the probes set up to monitor a hot tub dedicated circuit would NOT work (meaning the unit will not recognize the load). How it cannot detect a five thousand watt load is beyond me. After 4 days it still won't recognize the load. I find this unsatisfactory also.The good: Once it starts working, the unit does a very nice job of monitoring power usage in your home. It takes it a while to learn what devices are, to be expected. One nice thing, you can "export" data to Excel for more detailed tracking and analysis. The "meter" function shows you real-time usage. In my case, I was able to see just how often my sump pumps were operating. So, once installed, I am pretty happy with the unit. The interface has some nice graphics that allow you to see what various devices use, how much solar is offsetting the grid draw, etc.I would suggest that Sense engineers clean up some of the installation issues (the app issues). Especially for units that monitor a second circuit (solar and/or a dedicated circuit). Neither of my units would detect the second circuit load despite following instructions exactly. Due to the message "cannot talk to server", I was not able to set up an account for EITHER device without assistance (this is totally unsatisfactory). Also, the "help" is via e-mail; there is no "chat" to get a more immediate response. The support is offshore, and I'd rate it mediocre at best. I am sure the support people are not too knowledgeable with regard to power. One technical thing that would be nice to display: power factor. Certainly this would be easy to add (it’s good info for people who are into power engineering).Note: I am an electrical engineer with 50+ years of experience, including 30+ years of power engineering. Physically installing the unit was easy for me; however, for most, it should be left to a pro.