While opinions differ on the utility of the new Capital MetroRail Red Line, I think most people are interested to see it open and try it out.  There are now reports that the scheduled opening date of March 30 may have to be delayed due to problems uncovered in recent testing.

Detecting train locations is critical for safely operating a rail system.  Through ‘shunting’ an electrical signal in the rail, engineers can determine train position.  The system must also coordinate with traffic signals near rail crossings to prevent motorists from stopping on tracks.  This is called ‘Signal Pre-emption’ – the problem is illustrated below. 

Cap Metro could delay opening the rail to passengers, or they may simplify the schedule for the first few weeks – providing only southbound service in the morning, and northbound service in the evening.

I imagine these issues are normal for bringing up any new transit system.  See the links below for further detail.

CapMetro Rail Update presentation (Feb. 25) PDF

Austin Business Journal – CapMetro rail opening may wait

Statesman – Rail opening could be delayed

If my builder pulled up in a ‘Site Commander’, or rode around the jobsite on a heavy-duty Segway, I might have some questions about his fee. Watch the video for all of the features of this builder concept vehicle:

Full details are here: thesitecommander.com (the video text is wrong)

The main features are must-haves for most builders today – internet access and a generator. My builder could have used that coffee maker too.  I think a detachable moped may be more useful than a Segway – for those daily runs to the hardware store for odds and ends.

I’m interested to hear from a few builders – What’s do you think is the best/worst feature on the ‘Site Commander’?  Or what is missing that would be on your dream truck?

A quick heads up for a new listing in the Hyde Park area.  This home was featured in Dwell magazine awhile back (article – Salvage Love).  Full listing details here – 808 46th St., Austin, TX

Listing courtesy of Paul Reddam, Homesville

I’ve discussed Energy Monitoring in previous posts:

• Home Energy Monitoring
• Home Energy Monitoring – Update 

I have now purchased and installed my own TED Model 1001 energy monitor so I thought I’d share my thoughts.

Energy Detective Details

The Energy Detective (TED) is a fairly simple device – a measurement unit installed in my electrical panel transmits real-time power consumption data to a LCD display.  The display unit tracks peak levels and can display power in kilowatts (kW) or dollars as well as the line voltage.  Here’s what came in the box:

You’ll notice the USB port on the LCD unit – I paid an extra $40 for the TED Footprints software so I can log and view data on my PC.  More on this in a moment.

Installation was fairly straightforward, as long as you don’t mind mucking around in your electrical panel.  I won’t go into detail – you can read the instructions and muck around at your own risk .  If you’d rather avoid the hassle an electrician could easily install this in less than an hour.

Next there are a few setup steps on the Display Unit – you can enter electrical rate details which allows TED to display in dollars (and $/hr).  It works well with the Austin Energy 2 tiered rate model and seasonal rate change. 

Living with The Energy Detective – My Review

I’m not going to say that TED changed my life, but I certainly enjoy having it.  I’m kind of a data addict and TED allows me to measure and track my power consumption.  The first hour or so after I installed it were spent turning on all of our lights and appliances and monitoring the change in kWh.  Kind of nerdy, but an enlightening experience.

For anyone considering the TED, I would highly recommend the Footprints software.  It allows me to connect the TED display to my PC and log the data.  This has been very useful for tracking the performance of our HVAC system as well as monitoring our use-patterns.

All of the above information has helped me to live more efficiently and consider the costs of leaving a light on, or even baking brownies…

Baking with TED

Last weekend I baked a small pan of brownies in our electric oven.  Brownie ingredients are pretty cheap (chocolate, eggs, butter, etc.), but I was curious as to the cost of the ‘embodied energy’ (at least my oven’s contribution).  So I pulled up the TED data for the afternoon, here is a snapshot:

Here is a PDF of the full-size chart: TED-Baking.pdf

This graph shows a lot of good data.  The TED takes a measurement every second, so the x-axis shows the time I spent baking.  The blue plot is the power consumption (in kW) – this is what we’re after.  The red plot is the voltage (RMS) of the power lines – interesting mainly to see the power quality from Austin Energy and to see it drop as I draw more current.

First – Wow!  My oven takes some power!  The plot jumps up about 5 kW when the oven started pre-heating.  I checked my owner’s manual and it turns out I have a 5 kW heating element – this supports the measurement data.  It’s also interesting to see how the heating element turns on and off to maintain the 350 degree temperature.  This is basically the same control algorithm used by your average thermostat – simple but effective.

Also notice the two ~ 2 kW spikes around 2:40 pm – this was when I used the microwave to melt the butter/chocolate mix.  Here’s a closer look at this section of the plot (oven pre-heat and microwave):

With the TED power measurement for each second, I can calculate the total power consumption for baking the brownies.  This is the area under the blue plot in kilowatt-hours.  To be fair I’ll remove the ~0.6 kW base level as this is due to the lights, computer, fridge, etc. in the house. 

So there you have it – Thanks to TED I know that baking brownies required 1.67 kWh of power, which cost me about 12 cents.

Conclusion

You get the idea – The Energy Detective is a neat way to learn more about how you consume electricity, which should help you to be more efficient in your consumption.  I think installing TED is a great idea for builders – costing less than $200 it’s very affordable feature and it can immediately measure/demonstrate the effectiveness of the home and its systems.  Of course TED can eventually pay for itself by helping to reduce wasted energy. 

What do you think?  Is the TED providing worthwhile data or is this too much information?  Share your questions or comments below.