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ENERGY MANAGEMENT SOFTWARE
ENERGY MANAGEMENT SOFTWARE
3
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MONITOR REDUCE SAVE
For Windows XP, Vista, Windows 7 ( 32 & 64 bit )
Mac OSX 10.5+
System Requirements:
Min 800x600 or above
Adobe Air V1.5+
INSTRUCTION MANUAL
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CONTENTS INTRODUCTION
GETTING STARTED WITH ELINK
INSTALLATION USING ELINK
INTRODUCTION
GETTING STARTED WITH ELINK
Installation
Using elink
Register and Login
ADJUSTING YOUR SETTINGS
Conguring Your Elink Data Settings
Energy Costs and Tariffs
Tiers and Standing Charges
ELINK FEATURES
Collecting Data
Summary
Current Usage
Usage History
Adding Stickies
Energy Demand
Energy Plan
Add Utility Company Tool
Comparing Utility Companies
Energy Reporting
Back up and Restore
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elink 2.3 is an energy management tool to help you increase your understanding and
awareness about energy consumption. elink 2.3 will also help you to:
• Use the data from your efergy wireless monitor to produce graphs and demand
curves for your energy consumption
• Help compare different tariffs that could reduce energy costs
• Discover the advantages of shifting consumption to lower tariff rate periods
elink 2.3 is a compliment to your e2 or ecotouch wireless energy monitor. It also fulls
the same purpose as an efergy monitor when used with our USB Dongle product,
using your computer monitor to view your real time energy data rather than an e2 or
ecotouch (see page 19 for more details on the elink’s ‘Current’ feature). Some extra
settings need to be set in order for the elink to perform in sync with the USB Dongle.
Points where features or settings only relevant to either the e2, ecotouch or USB
Dongle will be highlighted clearly throughout this manual.
Ask Us
If you have any questions about using your elink software please check out the FAQ
section at our website or email our support team at:
software@efergy.com
We aim to answer all customer support emails within two working days.
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Prior to Installation
• Please ensure you have Adobe Air V1.5+, Adobe Reader (or equivalent software)
and Microsoft Excel installed before running the installation. MS Excel for Mac should
be used as elink excel energy report les are not compatible with Mac Numbers.
• If you are re-installing the program, backup your data, uninstall any previous versions
of elink software and delete any elink les within ‘Program Files’. You can leave the
driver les (‘FTDI’ & CP210X’) installed if you wish in order to save time during reinstallation. This will allow you to select these pre-installed drivers when prompted
during
• The date and time of your
difference is more than one hour then your computer will be unable to download any
data. Please adjust this before connecting the device.
PC Installation
Insert your elink 2.3 CD into your PC, run the installation setup le and follow the setup
instructions. elink 2.3 has been designed to run on Windows XP, Windows Vista and
Windows 7 (both 32 & 64 bit versions). In Vista and Windows 7 right click the set-up
le and install by choosing ‘Run as administrator’.
Mac Installation
Insert the CD into your Mac and rst install the elink 2.3 application le located within
the ‘for Mac’ folder. Next manually install each complimentary USB driver, named ‘FTDI’
and ‘CP210X’. These are for the USB connection to your efergy product.
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elink installation for Windows.
efergy device should be same as to your computer. If the
Navigation
elink 2.3 is split into two main sections; a tool bar on the left side of the application
and the data display showing your downloaded energy data on the right. The tool bar
is made up of a main menu, sub-menu and application controls. The data display also
features interactive controls that allow you to change the data displayed on-screen.
Tool bar
Made up of the 3
components shown
below
Main Menu Sub-menu
Demand
Plan
Add Utility
Compare
Application
Quit Settings Collect
Controls
Data display
Backup Help
Data
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GETTING STARTED WITH ELINK
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ADJUSTING YOUR SETTINGS
USING ELINK
Moving and Re-sizing the Window
The elink application window can be moved around the screen by simply clicking and
holding the transparent border around the edge of the window and dragging your
mouse to the position you wish to move it to.
elink has two viewing modes to choose from, allowing you to resize the application
window. These are; ‘Normal’ and ‘Large’. ‘Large’ shows the application window at it’s
biggest and will be set to appear in this mode everytime elink 2.2 is launched.
You can switch to the ‘Normal’ view by clicking
the magnifying glass icon in the top right of the
application window. If you double-click this icon in
either ‘Large’ or ‘Normal’ views a white background
will be applied, hiding other applications that may
be open. You can exit this isolated viewing mode
by simply double-clicking the magnifying glass icon
again.
You can hide the
elink application window by clicking the elink icon on your desktop
taskbar once. This will not close the application. It can be revealed by repeating the
action.
in
IMPORTANT: The values on the wireless monitor and elink software may vary from
one another. Some data sets can be interpreted differently. You may nd that the data
on the display differ to that on the PC.
The wireless electricity monitor and elink cannot be used as a comparison to your
electricity meter. Electricity meters have to conform to much stricter guidelines and
testing procedure, which are not applicable to wireless monitors. All data collected
from the efergy products should be for reference only.
CONFIGURING YOUR ELINK DATA SETTINGS
Click on the ‘Settings’ button within the Application Controls to setup your elink
software. This needs to be done before any data is collected from your efergy device.
NOTE: Textboxes with red borders simply mean that the data in that particular box has been
changed by the user and needs to be saved to take affect.
User Settings
Please enter your information into the boxes, such as username, country, postal code
and carbon ratio amongest others (for carbon ratio please refer to your energy supplier).
If a USB Dongle is connected to elink you will also need to set the voltage your
houshold mains system runs on, e.g. a UK household usually runs on 240V.
Target*
elink allows you to create your own consumption targets. Set your energy consumption
target by dening the following parameters:
• Target amount: Please enter the amount for analysis.
• Your type of plan: Please choose a target setting between kWh, Cost or Carbon
Emissions.
• Time period of your plan: Dene periods for comparison – daily, weekly or monthly
plans.
Apply and save settings
Target:
Target 50 kWh
Time period week
Data:
Reset Data
Time and Date
Sync Time & Date
User Settings:
Voltage
Your name Language
kg.CO2/kWh
volts
English
User name
CountryCountry United Kingdom
Date formatDate format DD/MM/YYYY
carbon ratio
Voltage
This setting will only appear if
a USB dongle is connected to
your computer.
Your target
50.00
Currently above target
kWh
Target Indicator
This will change colour
depending on whether or not
you are on budget. See next
page for more info.
£
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ADJUSTING YOUR SETTINGS
ADJUSTING YOUR SETTINGS
CONFIGURING YOUR ELINK DATA SETTINGS
Target Indicator
In the bottom left hand side of the interface you will see an indicator that displays
your current usage level according to the consumption target you set (see image on
previous page). This will change colour from green to red depending on whether or not
you are below or above your target respectively.
NOTE: Setting a plan requires an understanding of your average consumption. We
recommend using your monitor for a short period of time before setting a plan in order for you
to benchmark your typical energy usage.
Reset Data
If you want to reset the data, click on the ‘Data’ tab and select ‘Reset Data’, a
message will appear conrming your wish to erase your data, click ‘OK’ if you are sure.
This will erase all of your current user setting and collected data. If you do not wish to
delete your user settings and data click ‘Cancel’. This will not delete any data stored
in the devices.
Sync Time and Date (USB Dongle/ ecotouch only)
If you connect a USB Dongle or ecotouch product to your computer whilst running
elink the software will allow you to sync the time and date to make sure both the
device and software uses the same time settings. If the date and time of your USB
Dongle/ ecotouch and your computer have a difference of greater than 1 hour, then
your computer will be unable to download your energy data. To sync your USB
Dongle connect it to your PC/Mac, click on the ‘Time and Date’ tab and select ‘Sync
Time and Date’, a message will appear conrming your wish to sync your date, click
‘OK’. This will match the same time that your computer operating system displays.
Data:
Reset Data
Time and Date
Sync Time & Date
Data:
Reset Data
Apply and save settings
Time and Date
Sync Time/ Date
Sync Time & Date
Note: The ‘Sync Time and Date’ button only appears when the USB dongle/ ecotouch is
connected, this button will not be available when the e2 is connected. When using the e2 you
will have to manually set the time and data on the display, then connect and collect data.
This setting will only appear if
a USB dongle or ecotouch is
connected to your computer.
ENERGY COSTS AND TARIFFS
Before setting your tariffs please make sure you have your energy bill to hand.
It contains all the information you need to get started with elink 2.3.
Utility ID
You can add a name to the energy cost information before you enter the details.
We recommend you name it after your electricity supplier (Utility) and tariff so you
can easily identify it against others you add through the ‘Add Utility’ feature later
on to calculate potential savings made by switching suppliers (see page 29).
Multiple Tariffs
If you have dual or multiple tariff periods, click ‘Add period’ for additional tariff
intervals. The charts to the right show examples of four typical tariff scenarios.
Naming Units
Set a name for the tariff unit, click in the rst box (e.g. peak or off-peak). Set the
charge in the next box, then set the time start, time end, day start and day end
in the other boxes.
Testing
To conrm your time start/end and your day start/end, click the ‘Test periods’
button to make sure everything is entered correctly.
Energy Cost Setup Examples
Please check your utility bill for your tariff plan and rates
Energy Cost:
Period
Tariff unit
p1 Single tariff
Energy Cost:
Period
Tariff unit
p1
Dual Off-peak
Dual Peak
p2
Energy Cost:
Period
Tariff unit
p1
Wkday - Day
Wkday - Night
p2
Weekend
p3
Energy Cost:
Period
Tariff unit
p1
Wkday - Day
Wkday - Night
p2
Wkend - Day
p3
Wkend - Night
p4
Charge Time start
0.1 00:00
Charge Time start
0.1 06:00
0.15 17:00
Charge Time start
0.1 06:00
0.15
17:00
0.2
Charge Time start
0.1 06:00
17:00
0.15
0.2
0.25 06:0017:00 SunSat
End Add period...
00:00
End Add period...
17:00
06:00
End Add period...
17:00
06:00
00:0000:00
End Add period...
17:00
06:00
17:0006:00
Utility ID
Day start
Mon
Utility ID
Day start
Mon
Mon
Utility ID
Day start
Mon
Mon
Utility ID
Day start
Mon
Mon
#001
End
Sun
#001
End
Sun
Sun
#001
End
Fri
Fri
SunSat
#001
End
Fri
Fri
SunSat
Single xed tariff
This setup shows that one tariff
is paid at a xed rate of 0.1 (£/ €/
$) all day, every day of the week.
Dual tariff
Two tariffs are used, one at a high
peak rate and another at a lower
off-peak rate. The two rates are
entered as two periods, day and
night (p1 & p2), to complete 24
hours.
Weekday/ weekends
Here the peak/ off-peak system
is used on weekdays but a higher
at rate is paid on the weekend.
00:00 to 00:00 is entered on Sat/
Sun to establish 24 complete
hours.
Four tariff rates
Here the speak/ off-peak system
is used for both weekdays and
weekends, splitting both into day
and night higher rates creating
four periods (p1-4)
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ADJUSTING YOUR SETTINGS ELINK FEATURES
TIERS AND STANDING CHARGES COLLECTING DATA
Tiers
You may pay for your energy on a tier based tariff scheme where you pay one rate per
kWh up to a certain number of kWh and then a different rate for a second lot, or tier,
of kWh. For example 5 cents (0.1) for every kWh used between 0-100kWh and 10
cents for every kWh used between 100-200kWh. You have to rst add a new tier and
establish the tier rate from 0kWh and then add another tier to conrm the upper limit
(e.g. 100kWh). This can then be repeated to create a second tier and rate.
Energy Cost Setup Examples
Please check your utility bill for your tariff plan and rates
Energy Cost:
Period
Tiers
t1
t2 100 kWh/ month 0.1
t3
Monthly Standing Charge
0k Wh/ month 0.05 £/kWh
200 kWh/ month 0.1
Utility ID
£/kWh
£/kWh
#001
Add tier...
Two tier rate
Three tiers must be added to
establish the rate from 0kWh.
This shows that 5p is paid
between 0-100kWh and 10p
is paid between 100-200kWh.
10p is also paid for any kWh
consumed over 200kWh.
When you have nalised your settings you will need to collect the energy data from
your efergy device. First make sure elink 2.3 is open before using the USB cable
supplied with your device to connect it to your computer. A message will appear
stating that the device is now connected and the elink icon will change from grey to
green in the top left of the elink window next to your username. Depending on your
computer spec it could take between 10-30 seconds for the device to be recognised.
If it is not recognised try plugging it into a different USB port.
Once the connection has been conrmed click the ‘Collect Data’ icon within
It is also possible that you pay for your energy using time (period) based rates as
explained on the previous page, but also pay an extra charge based on a tiered
system. For example, it is Monday and so you pay 5 cents per kWh on a weekday, but
you also have to add 10 cents to that kWh because you have entered your second
tier of 100-200kWh of energy use. This means altogether you would have to pay 20
cents per kWh. elink allows you to program this scenario. Please refer to the example
on the next page.
Monthly Standing Charge
This is a xed amount you may pay to your energy supplier as well as a an amount per
kWh based on a time or tier tariff scheme. Check your energy bill to nd this out. If
this is given on your bill as a quarterly gure, divide it by 3.
Applying & Saving Your Settings
Once you have your User Settings, targets, time and energy cost set up you can click
‘Apply and save settings’.
Energy Cost:
Period
Tariff unit
p1
Weekday
p2
Weekend
Tiers
t1
t2 100 kWh/ month 0.1
t3 200 kWh/ month £/kWh0.1
Monthly Standing Charge
Energy Cost:
Period
Tiers
Monthly Standing Charge
Charge Time start
0.1 00:00
0.15 00:00
0k Wh/ month 0.05 £/kWh
Utility ID
End Add period...
00:00
00:00
£/kWh
£/kWh0.1
Day start
Mon
Sat
Utility ID
#001
End
Fri
Sun
#001
Add tier...
Period & tier tariff
You can also create a create
that includes both time & tier
based rates. Just adapt the
example shown to match
your particular tariff scheme.
Check your utility bill for the
type of tariff scheme you use.
Standing charge
A monthly standing charge
can also be set as your utility
may charge you this instead
or on-top of other tariff
options.
application controls under the main menu to download the energy data to elink. This
may take longer the rst time data is collected as the USB drivers auto-congure to
match the device. The process will be much quicker the second time data is collected.
Using Elink to Collect Data from Multiple Devices
You cannot view multiple sets of data downloaded from different efergy devices on
the same instance of elink. This is because elink is designed to simply update the
energy data previously downloaded. However it is possible to collect data from several
devices using one instance of elink and review the energy data in the form of pdf and
excel energy reports by following these steps. Repeat the steps for each device:
1. Create a folder for each device on your computer rst to download the reports to.
2. Connect the device to the computer using the supplied USB cable
3. Delete the locally held data in elink using the ‘Reset Data’ option within the settings
4. Click ‘Collect Data’ within application controls to download from the device
5. See page 33 to learn how to create an energy report for the newly download data
6. Save the energy report (pdf & excel les) to one of the folders your created earlier
elink logo
Your device is now connected
OK
Changes from grey to
green when a efergy
device has been
connected to elink via
USB.
USB icon
Shown when a successful
connection has been made
between your e2 device and
elink
Collect Data
NOTE: The efergy e2 monitor will display a USB icon on-screen to signify that data is
ready to be collected from the device. You will have a ve minute window within which to
download data from the monitor. After this period the monitor will revert back to displaying
real-time energy data sent by your transmitter. You will not be able to download data when
the monitor reverts back to this mode. To re-enable data collection unplug the USB cable
connected to the monitor from your computer, wait 10 seconds and then re-connect it.
The USB icon should re-appear to signify that data can now be downloaded.
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ELINK FEATURES
ELINK FEATURES
SUMMARY
The Summary page is the rst screen you will see after launching elink 2.3. It allows
you to review total Energy (kWh), Cost (in your currency of choice), and CO
emitted (kg) either consumed or output at daily, monthly or yearly intervals as well as
the Max Power recorded during the same intervals. To move between the three types
of information simply click the appropriate tab shown in the data display window.
This feature should give you a general overview of your consumption habits before
using the other features that elink offers to trace trends and evaluate more detailed
information.
CURRENT USAGE (USB dongle/ ecotouch only)
Once you have entered your settings details, including setting the voltage if using a
2
USB Dongle, click the Current tab and you will be taken to the elink current screen.
Here you can:
• See your real-time usage of Power (watts)
• See what your current energy usage is in cost per hour
• See your CO2 emissions per hour based on your current energy use
After collecting data, you will also be able to view:
• Total energy consumption today
• Electricity used today (kWh)
• Total cost of energy consumed
• Overall CO2 emissions
IMPORTANT: This Current screen will only appear if a USB dongle/ ecotouch device
is connected to your computer. When using an e2 the Current Usage feature is not
available.
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ELINK FEATURES
ELINK FEATURES
USAGE HISTORY
Click on the History tab to see a review of your energy consumption history.
Features include:
• Review your daily, monthly and yearly usage of your electricity, in kWh, your costs
and CO
• See a complete historical breakdown of your usage day by day, from the moment of
installation, to identify peak usage periods
• Red and green coloured bars are used to signify which are the highest and lowest
periods of consumption respectively throughout the historical data charts.
• A Max Power reading is recorded and shown relative to the period displayed in the
chart. This reading (kW) is time-stamped with a unique date and time and is not related
to the red bar used to show the period of highest consumption (kWh) described in the
point above.
• Add Stickie - this allows you to track and follow your consumption behaviour by
adding notes to points on the graph. (see Adding Stickies on the next page)
IMPORTANT: Please note by changing the date and time backwards and forwards on
your monitor may lead to incorrect data displayed on your monitor and elink software.
Avoid doing this unless completely necessary.
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ADDING STICKIES
The new Add Stickie function on the History page allows you to add your own
personal messages to each of your energy records.
This will help you track and follow your energy behaviour in the home. This information
will be recorded and displayed when you create your energy reports so others can see
the details that you have added.
Click on any bar in the graph and choose the Add Stickie function. Next, type in a
relevant message to explain this point on the graph (e.g. Family BBQ Party). Press the
save icon below to add your stickie and press ‘OK’ to return to the graph.
You can right click on the stickie to delete it. Click ‘Yes’ to delete it or ‘No’ to exit
without deleting.
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ELINK FEATURES
ELINK FEATURES
ENERGY DEMAND
The Manage-Demand tab allows you to review how much energy your household
demanded from the grid and consumed over various time intervals in kW. Click the
Daily, Weekly or Monthly tabs to display the respective data.
It also displays the estimated total cost per year and allows you to track any savings
you have made by lowering consumption. These gures depend on what price point
you have set your tariff data at.
Time of Use Tariff Tool
If you have a dual tariff setup that includes a peak and off-peak cost during the same
day (i.e. one rate for the daytime and another for night) you can use elink to see if you
would save money by changing when you use your energy. You can select one of
three ‘Shift’ tabs that control the period of energy use to be re-calculated using your
off-peak tariff rate instead of the higher rate you paid. Think of the ‘Shift 2hrs’ tab as a
washing machine cycle. You can see how much money you will save shifting the use
of this high consuming appliance to an off-peak time. This tool is not available if you
have set up a single period tariff scheme in your elink settings.
Add Tariff
You can use the add tariff tool to modify your current tariff options and check if
switching to a multiple tariff scheme would save you money. This is particularly useful
if you currently have a single tariff rate and want to quickly add a second period to your
scheme that includes a cheaper off-peak rate in order to use the Time of Use Tariff
Tool featured above.
Add tariff
Unit Cost £ start hour end hour
p1:
p2:
0
0
00
00
check clear
ENERGY PLAN
The Manage - Plan tool allows you to plan by plotting your consumption patterns
Use the arrows below the
graph to move the interval
forward and backwards
through the period.
Shift Hours Tool
Click each of the tabs to
shift a period of either 2, 4
or 6 hours of your energy
use to an cheaper off-peak
rate.
The shaded section within
the peak tariff period
shows the interval to be recalculated at the lower rate.
Add tariff tool
Use this to tool to alter your
tariff settings quickly to create
00
00
a dual tariff rate and unlock the
use of the Time Shift Tariff tool.
The start and end hours must
be dened and complete a full
24 hours.
within 30 and 100 day intervals.
A percentage gure charts how far above or below you are according to your usage
target.
The Information tab also tracks how much electricity you have consumed during the
selected interval as well as an estimated gure for your projected consumption over
the year.
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ELINK FEATURES
ELINK FEATURES
ADD UTILITY COMPANY TOOL
You can use this tool to add a variety of energy providers to the elink system and then
compare them against one another via an easy to understand graphical interface.
To add a utility click on the Add Utility tab and rst input a name for the new entry
within the ‘Utility ID’ textbox, such as the name of the utility. Next complete the tariff
information for the tariff scheme the utility company offers. The same tariff options are
available to you as were available within the energy cost tab featured within the elink
settings. Once this has been input, click Add to add the new utility provider to your list
and then click Save Changes to save and exit.
You will have to restart elink before this new utility information can be used to compare
costs with your existing energy supplier.
You can also delete any unwanted providers previously input by selecting a Utility ID
from the ‘Saved Utilities’ drop-down menu and clicking the ‘Delete’ button.
COMPARING UTILITY COMPANIES
This tool allows you to compare tariffs on offer between different utility companies to
nd the ideal price for you. Make sure to input the appropriate data beforehand via the
Add Utility tool (see previous page). Once you have added this information you can
use the features that the Compare tool has to offer.
Select from the list of energy providers you have added to calculate how much you
could save by either staying with your current provider or switching to another. elink
takes your energy history to calculate how much you could have saved a month of
previous use. You can select which month you want to choose from via the drop-down
menu labelled ‘During’.
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MANAGING ENERGY ELINK FEATURES
ELINK FEATURES
ENERGY REPORTING
This unique feature allows you to easily create daily or monthly energy reports. Simply
select the dates or months you want to capture and create your personalized PDF and
Excel documents.
June 2014 June 2014
June 2014
BACK UP AND RESTORE
Backup Locally
To backup your data shown within elink click on the Backup icon (within application
controls). Select Backup locally then make a New Folder. Label or name the folder
according to your preference and then click ‘OK’. ‘Data backup successful.’ will
appear, Click ‘OK’ to complete this procedure.
Restore Locally
To restore your data from a folder located locally on your computer’s hard drive
click on the Backup icon (within application controls). Select Restore. Then select
the appropriate folder and click OK. ‘Data restore successful. Please quit and
restart elink.’ will appear, Click ‘OK’ to complete this procedure and restart elink.
Note: When Restoring your data remember to select the appropriate folder label
(do not select any les within that folder) before clicking OK.
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