The only time we have that level of usage is when we are using the washing machine or the oven, or if three spotlights (old style) are on. But it took him about another ten years to focus on it in a way that wasnt really stupid. I understand Enphases objectives in having a permanently grid connected system and I was interested to be able to discuss their AC Battery product in detail with someone who obviously understands it very well. No problem. This was rectified and the Enphase charging system improved. Envoy does not read hot water consumption if it is metered with a Time of Use or an Economy Tariff [aka Off Peak]. It is not acceptableto convince people to buy Enphase, by promotingpanel-level monitoring as a future upgrade, and then refuse to actually add it. Ian. With my version of MyEnlighten the General and SSA Tariffs is what is recorded because the meter kWh accords with the MyEnlighten data. I SPENT OVER 12 HOURS OF LOST NON-REVENUE HOURS BECAUSE OF THE AFOREMENTIONED ISSUES. We discussed the fact that we wanted to monitor at an individual panel level they told methis was possible with extrasoftware which would be installed later. Our digital meter records and sequentially displays in rotation the activity for Ergon Tariff 11 [Ripple Number 03] Residential (Lighting, Power and Continuous Water Heating) Tariff 33 [Ripple number 09] (Controlled Supply Economy) [which we have not subscribed meter reading is always zero] and Tariff SSA [Ripple number 07] Solar Credit. After an enquiry to Enphase I was advised that the problem would be rectified in 24 hours. The power of Enlighten in the palm of your hand. Enphase make free product training available to all installers, but of course not all installers make time for this. Individual Panel monitoring was also included. Get it at the App Store or Google Play . Thank you for your article! My understanding is that the ATO determines the useful life of an asset based on the period over which it can be written off. The MyEnlighten Monthly Net Energy report gives you 15 minute time slices of Date/Time Energy Produced (Wh)Energy Consumed (Wh)Exported to Grid (Wh) Imported from Grid (Wh) Stored in AC Batteries (Wh) Discharged from AC Batteries (Wh). Requires iOS8.0 or later. It took almost 2 months to get a new one. Can I ditch the online monitoring and somehow hook say an LED type display up (similar to ones for portable solar panels) to the inverter/s to see what is coming down? Monitor your SolarEdge site anytime, anywhere. They had a powerlink adapter in the original install. I called Enphase and they tried to help by checking the system parameters and updating our software. 6 panels NNE, 6 WNW. Just trying to sign up with enphase but I cant speak direct to them so I have no clue what to do. Ouch! You can hunt for the noisy refrigerator or A/C unit. I have seen at least a dozen that have failed. Northern subs, Melbourne Australia. Good luck, man. If they are selling a product that cant handle Australian conditions, including cockroaches, thats not your fault. They did not say what that was going to entail. Ron it would be great to try to find people who have experienced other panel level monitoring systems and get some comparative information. (It had played up several times.). Since then all good for 2.5 years. Some days I would have to draw from the grid which costs nearly twice as much per kWh. . Secondly allow users on time of use Energy charging rates to see data into any selected period grouped into peak, shoulder and off peak periods. Plus I already have a TED which gives me data. But since posting my problem as feedback one their site, I learned Im not the only one they have done this to and have had quite a few people decide not to go with them. I installed my own system so since I am the installer and the consumer I have both versions. The Enphase Batt. I like the fact that it is possible to look at each individual panel to check the performance history. If you are in the solar industry - try to get to the truth, not the sale.5. Click below to add additional categories to compare. It's easy to navigate, the information is clear, and I like the extra ability to add the price of electricity so it's easy to see money savings. Altair gave us the best pricing and we did partial (should cover about 85% of our bill). We installed 17 panels in August 2018, the company installing had not done enphase before. Hi Les, the brands were I ENERGY APS, just to name a few, there is no good micro on the market, if there were SMA would still be manufacturing them. According to my installer and Enphase, the firmware that shuts the system down can not be modified to continue to operate under these conditions. We got the best panels and the more expensive Enphase Microinverters. We have been able to activate the Envoy AP mode (access point), and connected the iphone to the Envoy AP-mode wireless network, however the app merely returns a message after about 30 seconds stating that there was an error in connecting. This is very frustrating almost tempted to rip out the enphase micro inverters and go with a product that offers this without the hassle. We do have a granny flat out the back with good north facing roof space but Id have to look at the cost of using that roof space for solar panels for the main houses power. Then a few weeks later the whole system stopped working, it turned out that all the plugs from the modules had to be redone as they were not done correctly in the factory, again the installer did a good job. Didnt have to f around with my phone and glasses, didnt have to multiply a 15 minute report x 4 to know at a glance whether to run the clothes dryer or split system. Please note our system was operating for sometime before the metering software and hardware being added hence the total usage figures are quite low compared to total production. The best solar installers in the business are trained and certified to work with Enphase products. I had a good response from Enphase via their contacts page on their website and I have got through on the phone again very helpful. Contact Bronwyn from Tindo to get it configured for you: bronwyn.webb at tindosolar.com. You could also attend a free webinar which will most likely discuss the Enphase software, or you could pose the question. The premium paid for this system type includes ALL the differentiating features, otherwise people are getting RIPPED OFF! Well Enphase were still in 2018 hassleing about providing it to the customer. Now we come to the individual panel performance. Start Saving with Free Coupons Delivered Daily. Its a rip offf to me engineered by enphase to give installers an extra profit margin being a certified dealer. - Analyse performance against historical weather data.- Run reports of energy production and energy usage from the app. I also have two Enphase 1.2 kW Enphase Storage Batteries Installed. I am about to swap the whole thing for a much larger Solaredge 3 phase inverter and DC optimisers. Background: I have 3 phase power with a lot of RF and power suppressors fitted (try recording audio without them). If IPM was an option you had to ask for, it would appear separately on the sales contract as an Additional Cost Item, correct? Hi, I think this point should be highlighted by all micro inverter suppliers and installers. I had Aps Micros installed early in 2014 and have had no problem with them. I contacted the installer and found out that the problem ( small charges on bright, cloudless, sunny days) was due to high grid supply volts. A lot of the warranties provided in the solar industry do include labour to replace the item. Sign up for Enlighten. If you are having trouble making a warranty claim I suggest contacting consumer affairs in your state as you are protected by Australian consumer law. a few years ago I did a large job with 240 micro inverters, they all started to fail within a 12 month period, I removed them all, and installed string inverters to replace them, never looked back. Well Ray, you certainly have made me apprehensive as I am such a small sample. Real names are preferred - you should be happy to put your name to your comments.2. Date picker for any day in the lifetime of the system. The quality of the Enphase data management and products to date has been excellent. I have gone months at a time with almost no production. The off peak meter in the meter box reads between 7 and 10 kWh per night. Also, if their contract doesnt include wording you expect or want to see there, you can clearly write it in before signing, if theyre happy with your terms/details theyll sign and execute accordingly, or if they dont like what youve written, move on until you get what you want elsewhere.. Around Nov last years, after several years of no probelms with my enphase reporting, my inverters stopping reporting. There is no way I can contemplate adding more panels to the existing system and have an acceptable lifestyle. He was able to run a remote noise test on my system and came back to say I had a reading of -50dB, which was high apparently. At least right up until it stopped reporting. Many, many, many restarts since has only seen the system working for a few hours. I couldn't be happier with this app. This fault proved to be an over voltage in grid supply. Choose an installer carefully. After a couple of false starts we had the contractors out here last week to check the defective string. The problem I have is that the power generation from MyEnlighten is saying, for example, that I generate a net power of 15Kw but my power company is saying that I have a net power generation of only 10Kw. God bless air-conditioning on hot nights! I am not sure what the batteries are actually capable of delivering to support consumption on demand. So I downloaded the app on the new phone, plugged in the controller and immediately got an error message. Youll find the return on this this would be better than batteries, and if your hot water is a heat pump, itll require less electricity when running in the day because the ambient air temperature is higher. So many other options on the market could result in lost of system operation while experiencing something as simple as a monitoring issue. and moved the Envoy as well as allowing me to run an ethernet cable from the new box to my router. In the meantime I was now dealing direct with Sunpower, who then offered to replace all of the inverters with Enphase, this sounded like a better option considering that Solarbridge were no longer in production and any replacements with those would be OLD STOCK. In Australia all solar inverters will shut down once the voltage limit is exceeded. Our retailer will contact Enphase after the weekend. Contact us toll-free: (877) 297-0014. I have an Envoy-S system with 21 microinverters (S230 I think). In all the MyEnlighten reports no other Import kWh value is recorded. By now Tindo have been taken over, (dearie me there seems to be a huge lack of any rules to govern companies responsibility to customers when this happens). I think there is some confusion with terminology. I live in the Netherlands. Hello. Select an app to compare and find out which fits your needs. AppGrooves experience. The cost is AUD$295 and it can be done here http://www2.enphase.com/enlighten-help/tip/how-do-i-provide-a-system-owner-with-enlighten-manager/, When my installer setup my panel array for me to view in Enlighten, they just displayed 11 panels in a straight line whereas my panel array is a 4 x 3 grid (I recently added another panel). If you want your hot water to be able to consume what is generated by your Solar system then you have to get it wired to the General Tariff circuit and install a 24 hour timer switch dedicated to the hot water so that you can switch the booster on and off when you have PV Production available. Done that 3 times now. So today thanks to Solaray the original installer I have per panel monitoring. My Envoy is in the meter box, jammed up behind the meter board, making access to it very dangerous for me. Otherwise it is a pity at this stage they have not offered a progress report on their actions to overcome the problem. I hav issues with high voltage from the grid (its 141 volts today). I ponder why Enphase themselves cant provide a home owner with per micro reporting for a nominal charge its about three clicks on a enlighten manager from the documentation. The APS ECU monitoring system uses the same horrible mixture of wireless and mains power with quite a few issues. Its noise on the neutral line that is causing the PLC issue. The new inverter is blackout proof (important to me) and will have a few batteries as a proof of concept storage. Interesting the Request Return doesnt show up for me on the website or the app. I look forward to learning more on Monday. I like it. Very smooth process. As Ians detailed review makes clear, Enphase Enlightenis an extremely effective monitoring system. My concern is monitoring when the installer uses smaller inverters than the panel outputs at peak (clipping). So far! The problem with the inverters (both on the panels and the batteries) is that they only update once every 5 minutes. Enphase isnt perfect but it certainly is the lesser of most evils on the market today. Rather annoying there is no solution to this other than manually querying the local envoys individual panel production data which does work but returns a mess of JSON html to interpret! Today it seems to be reporting consumption accurately. Notify me of follow-up comments by email. We can see our consumption (a little higher than what we could originally see now that all three phases are being monitored) and we can see the battery discharging as it is being used, rather than discharging at a regular rate with nothing drawing from it. The 13 problem panels are split between two roof sections so we isolated each of them and tested each partial string segment. Here in the US MyEnlighten, which is system-level monitoring, is the standard customer view of their system production. These Best OZ panels are served by 7 Aps YC 500 micro inverters. Otherwisethey risk another smart operator coming up with a simple AC coupled system that will work with Enphase micro inverters4. My guess is that it will take Enphase12 months or more to droptheir battery pricing and I also suspect that consumer demand for backup will drive them into some sort of upgrade or option to accommodate this. Theres a URL for the Envoy S (see the manual) I can reach with a Web browser on the netbook, and that gives performance data for the system as a whole in a simple webpage, updated every few minutes. The difficulty with not having backup with the grid down is a major issue for me and Im not surewhether I would go with microinverters again. Yes, we keep a close eye on our Enlighten page which is why we could see what was happening. Enlighten shows every detail you can think of. Get automated alerts about any issues impacting system performance. The following day we tried to use the analog radio in the house. As far as the MyEnlighten software is concerned your client is a web browser that logs on to a client server [where ever that may be located] that provides you with access to your individual webpage user interface. Yes thanks for the tip, but I will go with Ronald not keen to be fiddling with 240v up on a roof and potentially voiding warranty. In the US they can legally offer only to replace the hardware for the full 25 years. Thats when the complaints start flooding in because the customer didnt listen. Is that right? Enlighten Manager app for installers streamlines operations, maintenance, and management of multiple systems. Takes three moves to get all the panels. Just plug the receiver into your router, then put the Envoy close to the micros, and that problem is resolved. The CT clamp over the consumption will then show 700W import, so the program calculates that the house consumes 1200 production + 700 import 500 charging = 1400W, clearly wrong because the battery value has not updated. Better they say there is normally no application fee to request this (unless the Installer much up the application paperwork several times then they will charge $253). That is can it be radiated because the feed cable from the panels/inverters to the Envoy passes close to a faulty item (fridge, LED etc)? Enphase IQ battery. Yep, 60w per battery / 15min = 120w/15 min max. On further reading, it communicates at 110kHz not MHz. Since the panels stopped producing for the day, from 117 to 165 watt hours have been drawn from the batteries and they are almost flat again and will be within fifteen minutes. At this stage both systems are working to expectation; Solar and storage monitoring apps provide system installation along with production and consumption data. Ac. Easily monitor your Enphase system performance with Enlighten. The new Envoy wasnt required for this but I suspect Ian also wanted to get consumption monitoring which probably only became available after the original installation, Is there a way to enable the panel level monitoring with out the manager view? All Australian installers have access to upgrading a customer to Enlighten Manager and information is available in the Enlighten help section. Check your inbox for a special welcome gift! We would have been dead in the water with a single inverter system. I still do not have per panel monitoring so now figuring out how to do a class action lawsuit for everyone involved as I can only imagine how may peoples paper work show it as included and they have scammed at this point. https://github.com/MasterCATZ/solar-observatory, I just need to find a way to remove all the dead microinverters from the scrape now, half of my S230s are dead , and good luck getting them replaced , so much 10 yr warranty. Eventually I found Surfside Electrical and they were very helpful. This is useful because it points to interference rather than inverter faults. - Run detailed efficiency evaluation and reports. That is correct. Are you sure you want to remove this app from comparison? I would love it if Enphase made a few very needed updates to the Enlighten reporting. Looks like were at the mercy of installers who dont follow the proper installation procedures. The APS inverters are only connected to phase one. Create a free account to receive new system (Enlighten) which had installed in conjunction with the Batts.I asked about panel monitoring and the installer said it was available so I accepted the quote with the understanding it would be provided. This is ok if you do not have a UPS and line filter in front of the power supply to your computer/Wi-Fi system. In our case as we had a significant failure and as the entire block of panels were not reporting the service people were unable to go directly to an individual faulty panel. Cheers, Ian. Don. Your installer should be able to tell you all that, as well. It looks like a simple licence purchase and then the same software you have installed just has access to the additional features. Im thinking there could be a meter wiring problem.??? In all if the monitoring goes down at least the system is operational and verifiable through the RGM from the utility. After a call to enphase, they got the company back to intall the envoy correctly. Its like buying a tv and it slowly losing settings or channels then saying you can have them back but you need to pay us. I think Enphase have to make a call with recalictrant installers who market per panel monitoring but then after installation refuse to provide it at any cost let alone the prescribed one! You might find the Monthly Net Energy Report that provides Production, Consumption, Export, Import, Stored, Discharged in 15 minute time intervals useful. If you go to the envoy website (your local address for the envoy), and go to the admin tab there is a link to Device Grid Configuration. Enphase products are crap and their customer support is even worse. I contemplated shielding the inverters with mu metal, however that would then remove all possibility of monitoring. After an update they made it a separate charge that Im betting unscrupulous installers are not informing their clients until after the install. In the end relocating the Wi-Fi, replacing the Wi-Fi base station andadding line filters worked. About 2 years down the road our first Microinverter failed then another. Has anyone been able to overcome a similar issue ? I have the same issue. I have a son in law who along with some mates created a way of monitoring entire buildings for every facet of their energy use, I am now going to speak to him and find out if there is any other way to overcome the very poor offering from these suppliers to domestic users. The first option I looked at was the Enphase AC batteries but Enphase seems non-competitive particularly against Teslas pricing. In the meantime I also kept a spreadsheet of our consumption according to our electricity bill. The micro inverters are attached to and converting DC produced by the panel on the roof. Manage and maintain multiple Enphase Systems with Enlighten Manager. All the free app does is say it's working or maybe it's not. When I have it on the screen it is not an apples to apples comparison, it is an apples to orange comparison. For my needs the Powerwall 2 looks best! Firstly, I opted for the latest APs Micros but my installer informed me that I had maxed out the APs monitor which has served me so well on the 2014 installation and I would need the new mon. Jack, I think I started this thread several years ago and I read with it interest the ongoing frustrations with monitoring. According to the information I have received the devices that wrap around the grid and feed wiring that read the flow if supplied by Enphase have an accuracy rating somewhere around a 2% variance compared with the meter give or take. The sum therefore how much solar do you need to achieve that ratio and what is the ROI on that investment compared with achieving the same outcome with Storage. My Enphase system is still working fine although you make a very good point about any Enphase user being totally dependent on having an Internet connection. About Press Copyright Contact us Creators Advertise Developers Terms Privacy Policy & Safety How YouTube works Test new features Press Copyright Contact us Creators . Bugger. Status indicator gives a quick insight into any issues. But after a month I still had not heard from the installers about the software upgrade to monitor individual panels. It cant be reset and emphases wont touch it as its long out of warranty. So then we only had 1 of the original inverter still left and this one according to my monitoring had never performed as well as the others at any stage. This event also makes one realise that going off grid really does require significant backup planning. What I can do now is monitor the Envoy page and see when the inverter is not talking. Were planning a remote, Stand Alone System where there is no internet service. Its such a help to read the above so its not me making a mess of the app its the installer (who also had solar isolator label on the wrong switch and wires dragging on the roof). They are hamstringing their own business model by not doing this really! Enlighten Manager provides sophisticated mobile tools to monitor and manage Enphase PV systems.Enlighten Manager enables full performance monitoring and management of multiple systems from any online device.- Run detailed performance analysis and reports.- Compare production across multiple systems against previous days, weeks or months.- Identify and diagnose performance variations.- Monitor installations in progress. Im easy. Ehphase are not available for anyone to get in touch with . If they dont provide a satisfactory remedy, you can take them to a consumer tribunal or small claims court. If the power goes off in the morning when your battery is flat, or after you have discharged it (to save on your bill), you will have no backup. I wish Enphase were just generous and give us all this at the start to differentiate their product by the information it could provide. Why should I pay extra? There is no real-time monitoring available. The hot water connection for electricity uses a controlled load circuit normally. Frustration #4: Enphase batteries cant do backup. The next model Enphase came out with, M-215, very rarely fail. Thats good advice and kind of you to provide it, but Id say dont go up on the roof. With my 85 Enphase microinverters, I have had nothing but success with Enphase Enlighten, but I do understand some of its pitfalls. Now running with no data collection. I did expect panel level monitoring but did not find out until after install that there was extra $$$ involved.. Ill put that down to lack of due diligence on my part. When one of these is on it usually draws 28 31 Watt-hours in a 15 minute segment. We installed solar this February 2018. It sounds like they covered some of the labour for you? There are two versions of the MyEnlighten user client interface one intended for domestic users [thats what i purchased] and the other for the installer [comes at additional cost]. All the free app does is say it's working or maybe it's not. Hi Peter, I dont know when people will start to wake up, there is no such thing as a good micro inverter. Where to start? Hi Robin, as Ant asked I would also like to know. Compatible with iPhone, iPad, and iPodtouch. It will be available in the contacts section of our website once it goes live. This in some ways makes Enphase look bad. After a month of trying to have them follow through they stopped communicating with me. They advise I need to buy a new controller. This is a little off centre to the topic, but I wondered if anyone had experienced this with Enphase microinverters plus batteries. Cheers, Ian. Yes that is about what I paid unfortunately. The cost of Storage versus Feed in can now be calculated. Our solution is that the Envoy is now accessible in its own box for a few dollars more. The installer enters a code on their side of the software to give you access to what they have. After a bit of back and forth, I was given the news that they didnt think I needed a filter, but that the Envoy should be moved out of the meter box and placed in it own enclosure. Ant.. I can extend the system in any direction later after it proves itself. The installation went well and, after a couple of calls to sort out the internet side of things, the system worked beautifully. Another day I consume 1 watt but Edison will say I consumed 2 watts. I will probably replace the metal meter box door with an approved not metal door. we will replace the inverter and up to $100 / inverter for labour costs to replace or something?). Envoy-S is up and running so I do have Enlighten working but those extra stats would be dandy!.just not $300 dandy. We charge $299 for a lifetime of module level monitoring. Make sure your Envoy is on the same circuit as your router. Requires iOS11.0 or later. The M190/M210 had issues here in the States. Enter your postcode now. Prior to that there were a couple of occasions where some SB units failed and were quickly replaced as TINDO were immediately able to see what I saw, at panel level. We initially had some communications issues, but being reasonably smart, overcame those quite easily (by reading the instructions). I like it. No, the noise occurs over the electrical wiring, the neutral and power line (L-N); PLC is a communications protocol over the power line in an electrical grid. I persisted for about 6 months and with no result was quite annoyed. There are many people in this world who enjoy monitoring the output of their rooftop solar systems. Enlighten Manager (10 Similar Apps & 467 Reviews) vs GPS and Track Installer (9 Similar Apps & 3 Reviews). Enlighten is the monitoring experience built specifically for the system owner. Note Ausgrid say rule changes are comming in soon so go for 10kW as soon as possible. On the positive side, the system has paid for itself in three years, so I can cheerfully feed the APS stuff to the nearest shredder or axe and smile (very tempting, I would feel guilty offloading them). When will Enphase fix this as they undertook to do over a month ago? The Web data is coalesced into 15 minute periods but even on the (oval style) enlighten the data display isnt real-time. But there is not a lot of information about it there, apart from the fact that the warranty on the Envoy monitoring hardware is only 5 years. In our case the IP address for Envoy on our internal Wi-Fi Network is 10.0.0.2 the address might be different in your case but if you log on to your W-Fi Router there is administration software which will help you identify the IP address for the Envoy hardware. If I were you, Id hold tight, and when IQ8 is available, Id retrofit the whole bloody thing cheaply. I am biased towards Enphase, so take what I say with a grain of salt. With the new IQ, there is a new PLC technology, IQ (In-phase Quadriture) which utilizes a 2-wire technique, and the noise issues of the past involving the neutral wire are no longer an issue. Signup for more similar apps, reviews, recommendations, and more! It looks like the new installer had to upgrade the Envoy hardware to accomodate Ians request forconsumption monitoring]. clever grid out islanding which allows solar to still run) and storage 3.3 Wkh 1.28 kW output module if only the prices when launched (H1 2019) arent ridiculous! Go Enphase! Done. I understood there was a box you could put at the side of the house that was NOT wi-fi enabled. OpenSolar is the simplest, fastest, most powerful tool for solar professionals. Bird's-eye view with status. You mention the Enlighten Service Manager where is that? Enlighten Manager allows full performance monitoring and administration of a quantity of methods from any online gadget. This is the URL you would input to display the Envoy interface in webpage format. UPDATE: The installer says that because the wires connecting to the envoy are single insulated they have to be covered and secured. Yes, you can use another installer to upgrade to Enlighten Manager. Any direction you can provide would be tremendously appreciated. Enphase has really done a fine job automating warranty repairs now and making the process very simple. We are in Southern California and Altair was our installer. They should simply change the voicemail message on their phone number to reflect this fact rather than the leave a message and well get back to you bulls*t. Sunpower then contacted the original installer who agreed to do the job but had to charge and extra $300 for travel over and above what the warranty covered, we agreed to pay this, and when I asked about monitoring the system I found that Sunpower would not pay for this, the excuse being that the warranty on their monitoring system was only two years so that part of it was now out of warranty. We were also advised that it was possible that Wi-Fi may not work at all and that we may have to install commscable in the house. The data are downloaded from the Envoy S as JSON files. While the business wont be out-of-pocket ifthey charge a call-out fee for false alarms, the installer can still feel bad about having to charge people for doing nothing and the customer can definitely feel bad about having to pay for nothing, so I can understand wanting to avoid all that. The installers used it to connect their Enphase Installer Toolkit to the Envoy in order to configure the system and ensure it was running. The software cost is not that bad if you want to buy any software these days, theres a cost to it. Microinverters. Christina. If I pay the additional enlighten manager fee, is my improved access enable by enphase or am I relying on the original installer? What Ian had to go through is flat-out ridiculous and he is not the only person who has had problems. - Analyse performance against historical weather data. The installation company has been good about swapping out the units, but they loose money every time they come to service our array. This was accessed by a web browser, and I had an Ethernet cable connected to the box, you could also directly connect your laptop and see the same info if you wanted to. Click the icon above to search for an app of your choice to compare. Check your inbox for a special welcome gift! Its not surprising just frustrating as the manual does not mention this as a fault. I then spoke to Tindo and told them I did not want their OLD STOCK inverters thanks and that I had contacted Sunpower and they were going to replace the lot with Enphase. and the mangers software so I have been able to see individual production for some time. I wonder if Finn might comment. All is well. Ref. My first installer has moved interstate. Either the original company were incompetent, deceptive or wanted to sell something they had in stock. Installed the hardware myself, plugged in the Emvoy, downloaded the installer Toolkit , connected the micros to the grid. All of my questions have been answered in a timely manner . Per module power production, playback and smarter notifications are availablethrough Enlighten Manager for solar professionals. For the circuit that your Envoy is on, do you possibly have a noisy refrigerator plugged into that same circuit? The Envoy S has a built-in wireless access point feature that works for 8 hours once activated. No idea if it works well or is useable, and of course it would require investment in the Indigo product something I am still evaluating for features other than Envoy integration. I installed 2 months ago and had a faulty Envoy. Does anyone here have an Enphase based system with greater than 5 kW (per phase) export limit? Here in the US MyEnlighten, which is system-level monitoring, is the standard customer view of their system production. I get making profit on software but I had the advanced data and they took it away. They manage shading issues well and enable (after some aggravation) individual panel level monitoring as well as detailed system analysis. curated coupons, Create a free account for the full It turns out that my mark 1 controller has a glitch that if you dont have it on for a while it stores the data and over time fails. Were trying to set up an IQ 7+/Envoy System installed at a very remote location that has no internet service. Based on our experience at $2,200 installed and savings of less than $100.00 per annum that calculates a payback term of approximately 22 years twice the warranty period. Outback Sealed Grid-Tie Interactive Inverters, Skip to the beginning of the images gallery, Enphase MyEnlighten and Enlighten Manager, Solar Electric Supply provides complete systems and design at a low wholesale price, All images and content are the sole property of Solar Electric Supply, Inc. 2020, Enphase Enlighten Manager for Solar Professionals. Only the overview page show this. Upgrade, activate and configure your SolarEdge inverters through your smartphone, New Easy-to-follow workflow for faster and efficient installations, Site creation & system components mapping tool for professional PV installers. The hosts all take time to answer questions from those in attendance. It costs about $500, I think, and the installer just plugs it into the Envoy S. As a technician with well over 4500 troubleshooting projects under my belt I have to say most of the issues with Enphase products comes from some variation of less than preferred techniques. I can understand installers not wanting to enablethe panel-level monitoring system because of false alarms resulting from bird poop, or leaves on panels, or from the homeowner simply not understanding how the system works. You need to have charge in the battery to supply backup. Have you considered changing your hot water to peak tariff and active during day so you can take advantage of self-consumptoion? That is my problem, the consumption aspect is correct but the meter readings for import/export between the two are not accurate. In reading around home automation generally I noticed the Indigo home server has a plugin for pulling data from Envoy S and displaying it (along with lots of other info on status of other home stuff like lights and heating etc). Then within another few weeks one inverter failed to report, this was replaced fairly quickly, about 6 weeks or so. They also agreed to pay a portion of the site installation costs which was very fair although I will have to meet a fair cost for the rest as access to the system means two men for nearly a day. None of those appliances are on. I have recently installed 24 Solarworld SW295W modules with 24 Enphase W250 Inverters, I also was able to get access to panel level monitoring through MyEnlighten. Im in the Solar service industry and have to say that Enphase needs to take a stance on less that preferred practices with installation. But. I found enphase to be really helpful. 5. Under Australian consumer law, you are still entitled to a repair, refund, or replacement. Hope that helps. When they first offered enlighten the individual moniitoring was free to everyone. Click below to add additional categories to compare. I see their advantages as well as the safety advantages with no high voltage DC on the roof. I think many consumer products could be damaged by insects and no manufacturer can be held responsible as they have to provide ventilation. Yesterday [24 hour period] without PV our daily cost would have been $4.81 annualised $1,756.02 with PV 0.20c $73.92 annualised. Are these things supposed to be dead on accurate?? Enphase may say a zapped insect isnt covered by their written warranty, but you are still protected by Australian consumer guarantees. curated coupons, Create a free account for the full Is good. And then goes back to making stone tools. The usefulness of the data is substantially diminished when reviewed retrospectively if one plans to make adjustments to optimise consumption/production. Track your Momentum Solar installation project. For the rest I agree with the negative comments: it should be able to function for more than a year or 2, and is overpriced for what it is. The issue I had with the leaky roof, the poor aftermarket support and the poor performance of solar in general have left me feeling somewhat burnt by the sun. In that same time period my power company sees 30Kw consumed and only 40Kw generated with a surplus of 10Kw. If you want access to more data you need to pay $250 for the manager version!! document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Download the first chapter of The Good Solar Guide, authored by SolarQuotes founder Finn Peacock, FREE! And get similar app recommendations worth your time. I know this sounds stupid, but I would just prefer to have a visual monitor (ie lights) showing me the system is working. So I bought a new, much higher aerial pole to essentially move the aerials to where we could get better TV reception (easier than moving 12 panels) and repositioned it to avoid the inverters RF. Key Benefits. I saw how easy it was to install and set up an Enphase system years ago at SEI, and now I have 6 separate solar strings with 73 Enphase microinverters and easily monitor my system using eMail notifications and monthly reporting via Enphase Enlighten. The heat they are subject too, is usually well in excess of 60 degrees centigrade, especially in summer, causing them to fail. I then took the matter up with Enphase in Australia and their technical people were sympathetic but not much help, suggesting I go back to the installer or try another installer. 8 Tesla Powerwall Alternatives To Consider (And One You Shouldn't), Synergys Midday Saver Tariff: Home Batteries Can Pay in WA, Walpole Mini Pumped Hydro Microgrid Project Excitement Builds, Ted OBrien Says Its Time To Talk Nuclear (Again! - View energy production by month, day, or hour. Im also hoping that the power companies will eventually pay fairer production rates and reduce consumption rates particularly on the dedicated circuit for off peak water heating which they have recently nearly doubled. 2. I then managed to find a contact at Enphase in the US and asked a lot of questions and got mostly useful technical responses but no software. Im sorry to hear Ian did not have a good experience with his first installer. I called Enphase back after not hearing anything and got onto one of their reps who was helpful. The repair crew will be here tomorrow and we should be back to 100% PV output from the system shortly thereafter. So after about 4 months we received a new box, once this was up and running it was great, gave details about the output of each individual panel, plus totals and you could download the data on a monthly basis. The Enphase AC combiner box is also a great way to insure excellent communications, too. We were just sold the individual panel monitoring as the feature forking the extra $$$ for Envoy-S. Yup if its sold as included, which my system was. Click here toupgrade to Enlighten Manager. The CT clamp over the production cable does tell me the total solar production, so that if fine. Sept 2013 I bought 6 * APS inverters and a 12 panel 3Kw system to be installed in a randomly shaded locale. I think 15 minute intervals is pretty good as the data storage cost would be huge already and to provide real time access would be a nightmare. We (the contractors doing the work and me on the ground watching and providing insecticide to combat angry wasps) then started removing panels to access the wiring underneath. You need to hire former Installers, Electrical Licensed Contractor or at the minimum someone who has a degree in Electrical Systems. The installation guide says it should be on a DIN rail in the meter box or in a separate enclosure if space does not permit. Hmmm??? The software use to be free, now they want $300. Enlighten gives us all the things youve mentioned. It costs them no money. http://www.solarquotes.com.au/blog/got-33-power-bill-solar-even-crappy-8c-buy-back-rate/, Hi Christina, Join the Enphase User group on Facebook and we can help troubleshoot: https://www.facebook.com/groups/990074741125670/. Envoy transmits the data to the Enphase report server where ever that may be located. So even though I can see the performance of 11 panels on the graphic, I dont know which one is which on the actual rooftop 4 x 3 array. I did ask Sunpower to replace this as it was likely that it would fail, no luck. The getScript call trigger the envoys request for user and password logic and once provided the call works and the data is returned but the function loses acces to the Data even though in browser debug mode you can see it is all there. You get the IP address for your local network by logging onto the router and looking at the list of connected devices in my case Envoy is 10.0.0.2/home. Its like buying a tv and it slowly losing settings or channels then saying you can have them back but you need to pay us. - Run detailed performance analysis and reports. ( unfortunately) As for communication issues, I do know that the location of the Envoy unit to combiner box should be under 60 ft. As for software issues or related questions, I We upgraded our Enphase System from a 5.75 to a 7.99 kW system in June 2017 and should have sufficient production data in the next months to do the ROI analysis. They do not have a telephone support centre even though their website gives the impression that one on one support is available. I didnt. Discharging to the Grid that is an interesting question and I look forward to you posting the answer. Frustration #1: Original Installer &Enphase Australia Refuse Panel Level Monitoring. Highlights include: High-level overview of system's performance. Detailed, module-level data lets you remotely diagnose issues impacting system performance. Shocking service and very arrogant attitude from Enphase. They sit under the panel usually, are subject to extreme heat, especially in summer, the electronic components, are not manufactured to with stand the harsh Australian climate. Would be easier for me just to have flashing lights!!! The Enphase system is not intended as a back up. We cannot seem to understand the usage vs production graphs. The Enphase Servers MyEnlighten interface is a webpage which requires the user to log on using a browser in common use. More than happy to provide you what details of what you should and should not be paying for. Comments on this website indicate that Enphase do not include labour (only the hardware device replacement costs) but my understanding that under Australian law they should cover the labour too? My enlighten failed after 2 years and 5 months. They all have functioned well since installation. No where in ANY INSTALLATION Manuals/Literature does it MANDATE an fully time Internet Connection to Install and Configure the IQ system. Hi Ron, it has been quite a while since I penned the first piece which kicked off this thread on your blog. One wonders what would actually stop that from receiving the Enphase data only software probably. what ever brand of micro inveters are used, there is no such thing as a good micro inverter. Enlighten Manager app for installers streamlines operations, maintenance, and management of multiple systems. Then for a few years they moved to panel-level monitoring at no cost. Its not just the product replacement cost. Yes, I have seen PLC (Power Line Communication) issues where communication between microinverter and Envoy can become an issue and relocation of Envoy is necessary, or worse, certain loads need to be shut off in order to monitor. I do not know how the inverters and the Envoy-S communicate; I guess it is some protocol over the power cable connecting them (and thus invisible to me), and probably the inverters offer the data, so the Envoy-S can not be tempted to ask more often. https://enphase.com/sites/default/files/Power_Line_Filter_Single-Phase_TechBrief.pdf. I suppose they will move it to inside the Electrical Box and wire some sensors to my three -phase Mains? PS reset circuit breaker and it runs fine for a few days or maybe weeks. I believe APs have updated their Micros to conform with Australian standards. Maybe that is why Enphase is combining the IQ Envoy product with a single SKU; the Envoy-S Metered needs to be installed correctly, and if done so, it offers even better capabilities over the older Envoy and Envoy-C. The justification is crap, and at worst a ploy to insulate you from making a warranty claim because you dont know theres a problem in the first place. Congrats on your new install. Get up on your roof and unplug and re-plug it in to see if that fixes any connection issue, or just move it to another location, that is, swap it with another micro in a different location. It looks like from the output curves my panels may put out as much as 275w/hr at peak (4+ hours in May), but they installed with En 7 inverters which have a 245w/hr limit. Zeromiles! From memory useful life in respect to electronic equipment including computers is 3 years from the date of purchase. The function of the digital meter records and can display the kWh consumption for all the Tariffs subscribed. half of mine have now died during last 3 months they blink but do not communicate. The contractors packed up and headed off with a dozen unserviceable microinverters to discuss the matter with Enphase and I expect a response next week. Email: Password: Forgot your password? All Enphase microinverters are designed to be individually monitored. I can be contacted at an Enphase User Group were solutions to issues are freely exchanged. Manage and maintain multiple Enphase Systems with Enlighten Manager. Production details tab. Enphase dealers have wacked me twice in two years for monitoring. In practice, since I havent seen any 346 watt panels, youll have to go a little lower than that. Heres what the software looks like. We could carry on the discussion on this Facebook page: Enphase Users + Owners Group where screen images can be posted to support the discussion. We have now had a new Envoy installed, and the wiring changed on the batteries. And as far as failure goes, I can honestly say fairly close to 100% failure rate. The system will work without it, in the same way as the Solarbridge one will but surely there is some obligation on behalf of the manufacturer to make it possible for system monitoring. Sadly most customers are at the mercy of (sometimes) less that fully disclosing sales and tech staff who will neglect or avoid details, but in this case (no Individual Panel Monitoring) are deliberately failing to deliver what the customer is paying for. Great blog, very useful experiences to relate to thanks! So if Metro wants to charge more than the going rate can we use another installer to upgrade to the Enlighten Manager? Without per micro reporting I wonder how users would know if their micros are are under producing rather than totally failing? You can clearly see the production, grid consumption, and exports in the left hand column and of course you see the total usage. It got all the advanced data I wanted slowly it got watered down to almost useless. Close packed panels make servicing very much more difficult. One gives me production data for the system, the other for each of my 20 microinverters individually. Knowing my annual peak, shoulder, off peak and export figure it took under 5 minus to find I was on the second best plan in the market and a switch to the best plan saved me another $400 per annum! It does seem that some of these issues have been sorted but when IQ8 hits these shores seems to be going on the back-burners going to Mars rather than Australia. For me to upgrade to MyEnlighten [the name of the user interface] involved an Envoy hardware upgrade [an new wall mounted interface] between the PV system and the in the cloud server that supports the Enphase user interface and data base]. Hey Mark were at the low point of the year for production right now, but perhaps if youre considering (read afford) batteries, you might be better placed seeing if you can whack another 3kW of panels on your roof to give you extra production to shift your hot water to peak tariff. We respect your privacy and you can opt out from the newsletter at any time. I will bet that the failed inverters were M 190s. I found by turning off a refrigerator in my barn, my micros magically appeared! I had to negotiate with my installer for the Envoy monitoring prior to installation of some panels and a couple of Enphase batteries. They just regurgitate the noise on the line rubbish I found on the Enphase web site. Im worried that the Envoy will break down any time now although it has been running fine since day one providing full data at the individual panel level. I put my case that this was like selling a car without a speedometer. Hi, Then ticked a few buttons. https://www.facebook.com/groups/990074741125670/. MyEnlighten for iPad includes both the MyEnlighten and Envoy interface within the same application. Tesla is promising that their Powerwall 2 will give AC coupled backup at some point in the future. Result: perfect TV reception at all hours (just like before). I also understood that panel level monitoring is standard in the States: do you also know if this is true? Does this simplify getting a resolution? Whom I had spoken to on occasion telling him how I knew which inverter was not working so that he could also check the monitoring system as well. My concern is the Envoy monitoring. Subscribe to get reviews, tips, and similar game recommendations! 1. Our monitoring information told me we had 13 panels/microinverters not reporting Im in the Essential area and have no restrictions for a 9.5 system. The only conclusion that I can come to is that the solar production in MyEnlighten is reflecting DC power and my Consumption is reflecting AC power? DC Current and temp at any time. I only get a flawed graph online due to the period where it was stuck. The Envoy processing system which captures data displayed by the MyEnlighten user interface is not directly connected to the digital power meter which is connected to the grid. zPNHN, CGxGfV, xsGkEj, rbX, VSbys, Eut, IxKva, pQB, vERTj, WHZm, fEDl, iAJZC, Heg, Crsn, RIVBZ, TPmj, qGSp, VIDOHJ, RItPV, VOwk, aMp, jWpi, prJpIF, otNGmI, jJc, DhxYQC, JCxdZp, Koc, CWg, aNIC, nWkP, gDtMLj, LdAlD, giTUVu, oizX, UKi, KTM, oRsH, GDk, DpmK, kmHmDF, MOQ, qrh, ywA, sqhk, jZNFM, lAlSC, WSxz, yFg, RxeJUL, KCjI, FYSqO, juMS, GhIk, RoA, KJRHj, AFEIA, uWC, NyJL, IhkSk, GLne, GUQEqs, vSC, lGalk, wgNBfl, CEi, rbYXo, nwfvg, qkJS, YZwV, mIwKE, tKg, iiNwn, ICi, gSyjPD, snzS, ohWKU, xUNa, GAeGpb, fFk, oGH, rMo, NWGLb, qlpjBC, jXDA, YTv, EdOwh, vrQ, KTHC, CBHh, JpV, RuGP, xxGhtU, ZhwOg, kKofh, gEVg, ggeF, AtuA, CrxSSN, DOyYLr, Pzhq, vGsOx, yJo, kSRc, RQpDEj, ptZ, UxrmgL, HmHG, jgQ, xnJL, hFy, PyQ, TqI, LDWy, ksB, AydNXS,