Electrical & Energy Systems
Electrical installation, maintenance, fault diagnosis and solar energy solutions for residential, commercial and industrial environments. We work across the systems that distribute, use and supply electrical power.
Case study
Beyond the Meter: Investigating Electricity Consumption at Circuit Level
An electrical energy-monitoring prototype developed to measure consumption across individual circuits, distinguish the loads contributing to total electricity use, and present the measurements through a central dashboard.
A conventional electricity meter provides a useful picture of total consumption, but it does not explain which equipment or circuits account for that consumption. In buildings with several independent loads, understanding the distribution of energy use requires more detailed measurements.
This project investigated how a low-cost monitoring system could collect electrical measurements from individual circuits and turn them into information that was easier to interpret. The prototype was designed around a distribution-board monitoring arrangement, with current sensors connected to a microcontroller and measurements transmitted to a local dashboard.
Current transformers were used to measure the current flowing through selected circuits without requiring the monitoring electronics to be connected directly in series with the loads. Voltage measurements were incorporated to support power and energy calculations. The measurement system sampled the electrical signals, calculated consumption metrics, and transmitted the resulting data to a central application.
The software side of the prototype handled data collection, storage, and visualization. A dashboard displayed live measurements alongside historical consumption, allowing the behaviour of different circuits to be compared over time. Particular attention was given to making the readings understandable without requiring users to interpret raw sensor data.
Testing involved comparing the prototype's readings against a reference meter under different load conditions. The results showed that the system could distinguish changes in consumption between monitored circuits and provide a useful view of how loads contributed to overall demand. The exercise also exposed practical considerations around sensor calibration, measurement accuracy, electrical noise, and the importance of matching the measurement hardware to the installation.
The completed prototype demonstrated a practical approach to circuit-level energy monitoring and established a foundation for further work on energy analysis, abnormal-consumption detection, and automated reporting.
What changed. The project produced a working prototype capable of collecting and visualizing electrical measurements from multiple monitored circuits. Testing demonstrated that the dashboard reflected changes in circuit loading and made differences in consumption easier to identify than a single aggregate meter reading.
The prototype also established a reusable architecture for acquiring measurements, transmitting telemetry, storing historical data, and presenting it through a web-based interface. The resulting system provided a starting point for more advanced energy analytics, although the accuracy of individual measurements remained dependent on sensor calibration, installation conditions, and the characteristics of the monitored loads.
THE END
Scope
- Designed the architecture for a multi-circuit electrical energy-monitoring prototype.
- Integrated current sensors and voltage-measurement circuitry with a microcontroller-based acquisition system.
- Implemented measurement processing for current, voltage, active power, and accumulated energy.
- Developed a data-transmission pipeline between the monitoring hardware and a local dashboard.
- Created visualizations for live electrical measurements and historical energy consumption.
- Tested the prototype under different load conditions and compared its readings with a reference meter.
- Documented measurement limitations, calibration requirements, and opportunities for further development.
Technology
- ESP32 microcontroller
- SCT-013 current transformers
- Voltage-sensing and signal-conditioning circuitry
- Embedded C/C++ firmware
- MQTT messaging
- Node-RED
- InfluxDB time-series database
- Grafana dashboard
Related services
Embedded Systems & Electronics
Embedded hardware and electronics development for devices that sense, process and interact with the physical world. Our developing work spans microcontrollers, circuit design, PCB development and hardware prototyping.
Software & Digital Systems
Software development and digital tools for practical applications, technical workflows and connected systems. Our work combines software engineering with an interest in how digital solutions interact with the physical world.
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