Hideki Electronics ELS915 User Manual
USER GUIDE COVER PAGE
Table of Contents
Welcome ........................................................................................................................................................................................... 3
Safety Instructions ....................................................................................................................................................................... 3
Care and Maintenance .................................................................................................................................................................. 3
HOW TO USE THIS MANUAL ...................................................................................................................................................... 4
1 - Unpacking and Installing Your PowerCost Monitor AMI ........................................................................................................... 5
The PowerCost Monitor AMI Display Unit ................................................................................................................................. 5
Mounting the Optional Temperature Sensor ................................................................................................................................ 5
2 – Starting Your PowerCost Monitor AMI the First Time .............................................................................................................. 6
3 - Your Display Basics .................................................................................................................................................................... 7
4 - Configuration Mode – How To Program Your Display ............................................................................................................ 10
Entering and Exiting Configuration Mode – the M EN U button ................................................................................................ 10
Main Menu ............................................................................................................................................................................ 10
Menu Navigation ................................................................................................................................................................... 10
Setting the Display Clock: The TIME/DATE? Submenu ..................................................................................................... 11
Setting Your Rates – The ENERGY RATES? Submenu ...................................................................................................... 13
Setting Your Viewing Preferences – The PREFERENCES? Submenu ................................................................................ 15
Setting the Display’s Operational Parameters – The IHD SETTINGS? Submenu ................................................................ 16
5- Using Your Display .................................................................................................................................................................... 17
Using the Various Display Modes ............................................................................................................................................. 17
The SPEEDO .............................................................................................................................. Error! Bookmark not defined.
The Consumption Ratio Indicator .............................................................................................................................................. 18
The Text Area ............................................................................................................................................................................ 18
Appendix A – How to Determine your Rates ................................................................................................................................. 19
What Am I Looking For? ...................................................................................................................................................... 19
How Do I Do This? ............................................................................................................................................................... 19
APPENDIX B - Troubleshooting ................................................................................................................................................... 21
APPENDIX C – Configuration Menu Tree .................................................................................................................................... 22
Welcome
Thank you for purchasing the PowerCost Monitor™ AMI™ for Elster EnergyAxis™ fr om Blue Line Innovations.
Your PowerCost Monitor AMI gives you the advantage of real-time feedback. Tests have proven that households where real-time feedback is put
to good use can reduce their electricity needs by as much as 5% to 20%. Learning how to use all the functions of your PowerCost Monitor AMI
will help you reduce your electricity bill considerably.
Real-time feedback means being able to see at a glance:
¾ how much energy your home is using, in 30-second slices.
¾ the effect of turning on or off various electrical devices in your home.
It is important to remember that the PowerCost Monitor AMI is just a tool. You remain in total control of the amount of savings you realize. By
striving to keep the values shown on the Display as low as possible, you can achieve:
¾ Real savings on your monthly electricity bill
¾ Reduced green-house gas emissions
¾ Reduced demand on the power grid
Your PowerCost Monitor AMI™ has an easy to read screen that can display:
¾ Your current electricity consumption in dollars and cents per hour and kilowatts.
¾ Your total cost of energy consumed in dollars and cents and kilowatt-hours.
¾ A statistical view of your energy consumption based on the rates you pay.
¾ The outdoor temperature in Celsius and Fahrenheit.
¾ The current time and day of the week.
You will find relatively inexpensive and effective tips at www.save-electricity.ca
conjunction with the PowerCost Monitor AMI, these tips will help you attain your conservation goals.
The PowerCost Monitor AMI is straightforward and easy to use. Should you happen to experience any difficulties with your system, please use
the following resources in the order listed below:
1. The troubleshooting section at the end of this manual.
2. If the problem persist or you have a question that remains unanswered, additional information is available online at
www.bluelineinnovations.com
3. If none of the above resources contains the solution to your problem, please feel free to dial our toll free line at 1-866-607-2583.
One of our customer support staff will be happy to assist you.
.
to help you maximize energy savings. When used in
Safety Instructions
This device does not interfere with your utility meter readings in any way. After the PowerCost Monitor AMI is installed, utility company
personnel will still be able to access your readings normally.
Please read, understand and apply the safety instructions below and read the rest of the User Manual thoroughly before using this product. These
instructions must be followed at all times.
¾ Do not attempt to repair the PowerCost Monitor AMI yourself. If you experience any difficulties please refer to the troubleshooting
section of this manual or visit www.bluelineinnovations.com for assistance. If you are still having difficulty please feel free to call our
customer support department toll-free at (866) 607-2583.
¾ Take precautions when handling batteries. They can cause injuries, burns, and/or property damage as a result of contact with metal
objects, heat, and corrosive materials.
¾ A damaged LCD display may leak fluids that can be harmful to your health. If any fluid leaks from the Display Unit after you drop it
accidentally, immediately wash the unit and any part of your body or clothes that came in contact with the liquid with soap and water.
Care and Maintenance
To ensure your PowerCost Monitor AMI provides trouble-free service, please read the following tips and the rest of the User Manual thoroughly
before using the system.
¾ Do not immerse the PowerCost Monitor AMI in any liquid.
¾ Do not use the Display Unit in high moisture areas such as a bathroom.
¾ Place the Display Unit indoors only. Placing the Display Unit outdoors can result in damage to the product and will void the warranty.
¾ Keep this product away from heat sources such as stoves and heaters.
¾ Do not drop the PowerCost Monitor AMI or cause any sudden impact to it.
¾ If disposing of this product, do so in accordance with your local waste disposal regulations.
HOW TO USE THIS MANUAL
This manual contains important safety and care information, and provides step-by-step instructions for using this product.
Please read this manual thoroughly, and keep it in a safe place in case you need to refer to it later.
This manual is designed as a reference and it contains all the information you require for the ongoing use of your PowerCost Monitor AMI.
The contents are also laid out in a logical sequence, from unpacking your box and verifying all the contents to interpreting the values that show
on your Display.
Please note that immediately after unpacking, you must follow a precise sequence of steps to bring your Display to full operational status, as
described in the section entitled Starting Your PowerCost Monitor AMI the first time.
After your Display is operational, you should get familiar with your LCD screen as described in Understanding Your Display. Among other
things, this section will help you understand which parameters you may need to configure manually.
The Configuration Mode – How To Program Your Display section describes all the configuration parameters that you may need or want to
modify.
Finally, Using Your Display gives you examples of what you can expect your Display to show when you perform certain actions, with the
appropriate explanations.
If you are not familiar with electricity rates, Appendix A shows you how to determine the rate structure that is being applied to your account by
your electricity supplier.
1 - Unpacking and Installing Your PowerCost Monitor AMI
Verify that your box contains all the following components:
• Display Unit
• 6 AA Alkaline batteries
• AC Power Adaptor
• Outdoor Temperature Sensor
• Configuration Module (installed in the Display)
• User Guide
After you unpack your PowerCost Monitor™, keep all the packing materials in a safe place.
ILLUSTRATION OF PCM AMI CONTENTS
The PowerCost Monitor AMI Display Unit
ILLUSTRATION – Display Elements
1 – AC ADAPTOR – Standard AC adaptor to power up your Display.
2 – CONFIGURATION MODULE – The Configuration Module stores all the data that you may have to program into your Display. It should
remain inserted into its slot at all times. In the future, your electricity company may send you a different pre-programmed configuration unit,
which you simply will have to insert in the slot.
3 – ANTENNA – This antenna enables your Display to receive signals from your meter’s radio.
4 – LCD screen – This screen displays all your power consumption data, as explained in this guide.
5 – BATTERY COMPARTMENT - for 4 AA Alkaline batteries
6 – Status LED - When the Display is turned on and communicating with your meter, the Status LED flashes regularly every 5 seconds. It
flashes green if the signal received is of good quality and red if it is low quality. In addition to this regular flashing, every signal received from
the meter causes an extra flash.
Powering Up Your Display
1 - Find an appropriate location for your Display. It must be an indoor location 60 meters (200 ft.) or less from your home’s electricity meter.
Note that each wall separating your Display and your meter may reduce the distance by up to 5 meters (15 ft).
2 - Remove the battery compartment cover, insert the supplied 4 alkaline batteries in the orientation indicated and replace the cover. The
batteries provide backup power if you have to unplug the AC adaptor to move your Display to another location in your dwelling, or to go to a
specific appliance to measure its consumption using the “Appliance” (APPL) feature.
3 – Plug the supplied AC adaptor in the adaptor socket on the side of the Display and into a wall outlet.
Mounting the Optional Temperature Sensor
ILLUSTRATION OF TEMPERATURE SENSOR
1 - Remove the four screws on the back of the temperature sensor.
2 - Remove the battery compartment cover.
3 - Install two AA batteries in the orientation indicated.
4 - Screw the battery compartment cover back on.
5 - Mount the Outdoor Temperature Sensor outside you house, in a continuously shaded area and away from heat sources such as dryer vents.
After you perform the first time use procedure described in the section 2, your Display should start displaying the temperature at your
Temperature Sensor location.
2 – Starting Your PowerCost Monitor AMI the First Time
Before proceeding with the instructions below, retrieve a recent electricity bill and find out whether you are being changed on a Time of Use or
Tiered rates basis. If you are not familiar with electricity billing modes, read Appendix A for complete explanations.
When you power up your unit for the first time (and each time you use the factory reset function), your Display goes through the following
sequence.
• It briefly displays first the RADIO MODULE (RM) version, then the firmware (F/W) version;
• The prompt “BILLING MODE?” is displayed in the Text Area and the “TOU” indicator is flashing in the SPEEDO (the rainbow in
the middle of the LCD screen).
1. Set your BILLING MODE
a. Press YES if you are billed on a Time of Use basis. If you are billed a Flat rate or on a Tiered rates basis, press
the indicator to “TIER”, then press YES.
b. The prompt “ACTIVATION CODE?” is displayed in the Text Area in the bottom left corner of the Display. Proceed as follows:
2. Set your meter’s ACTIVATION CODE
a. Retrieve the activation code that your electricity company has provided to you.
b. Press YES. Number “0” is flashing in the Text area at the bottom of the screen.
c. Press
d. Press > to move the flashing pointer to the second digit. Repeat the process until all the digits of your activation code are correct. If
you make a mistake, press the < character to erase the current digit and flash the previous digit. Press > to skip to the next digit.
e. When your activation code is correct, press YES to store it. The message “Connecting” is displayed. If you have entered the activation
code correctly, it is followed by the prompt “Updating”. When the update is done, the Display is in normal operating mode and it will
start displaying your meter information after some time.
f. Go to step 3 below.
3. Synchronize your Outdoor Temperature Sensor with your Display:
or to increase or decrease the value of the digit until the first digit of your activation code is displayed.
or to change
a. Press
b. Press NO until the text area displays “IHD SETTINGS?”
c. When “IHD SETTINGS?” is displayed, press NO until “SYNC SENSOR?” is displayed.
d. When “SYNC SENSOR? is displayed, press YES. The prompt “CONFIRM Y/N” is displayed.
e. Press YES. The Display flashes three dashes while synchronization is in progress. When synchronization is done, “SYNC
COMPLETE” is displayed.
f. Press
3 – Your Display is now operational and it should be starting to display the data from your meter within a few minutes. Now read section 3 –
Understanding Your Display. It explains all the display elements as well as all the fields that you should see on your LCD, with the default values
for each.
NOTE: Any field that displays dashes indicates that your meter is not providing that information. Therefore, you should modify the
appropriate parameter by following the instructions in section 4 – Configuration Mode – How to Program Your Display.
4 – If your rate information is not provided by your meter, and you are not familiar with electricity rate structures, read Appendix A -
to enter configuration mode. The Text Area displays “TIME/DATE?”.
to exit Configuration Mode.
3 - Your Display Basics
This section gives a brief overview of all the information that is displayed on your LCD. Section 5 gives detailed examples of real life situations
with more in depth explanations.
As soon as you power up your PowerCost Monitor AMI, the following start-up screen is displayed:
ILLUSTRATION – Start-up Screen
Once your Display begins to receive power usage signals from your electricity meter, it automatically starts showing information after a short
time.
REMINDER: The first time you power up your Display information, the information presented may not be completely accurate, until
your display is fully configured and receiving all the data required from your meter, such as your rates, the date and time of day, etc.
For the purposes of this section, we are assuming that your Display is receiving all the required data from your meter. The next
chapter explains how to configure any piece of information that you may be missing.
ILLUSTRATION – FUNCTIONING LCD
1 - Date & Time Indicator: displays the current day, date and time. If possible, these values are transmitted from your electricity provider;
otherwise you set this information using the MENU button. You can select AM/PM or military (24-hour) time formats as well as day/month or
month/day date formats.
2 - Temperature Indicator: displays the current temperature received from your external temperature sensor. You can select to display the
temperature in degrees Celsius or Fahrenheit.
3 - Status Indicators: The antenna shows the quality of the signal, five bars representing the best possible signal quality. The battery icon appears
when the internal batteries are low. The batteries act as a backup in case of a power outage and they also allow you to unplug the Display and
move it around without powering down.
4 - Configuration buttons: The MENU,
your display or to cycle through available options.
5 – 16-character Text Area: This area can display up to 255 characters in scrolling mode. It can display prompts and network text messages. By
default, the time remaining to your next rate change is displayed. For example “Increase in 03:45” or “Decrease in 00:23”. In addition,
supplemental messages can be cycled through during normal operation.
In Configuration Mode, this area also is used as a numeric keypad. The actual operation of the keypad is explained in detail in section for each
parameter where it is used.
6 - User response buttons (YES and NO): These buttons allow you to respond to prompts displayed in the Text Area, including any prom pts
from your electricity company.
7 - Display Mode Control Buttons: These touch-sensitive buttons change the values shown in the Speedo and Consumption Ratio Indicator.
Each button is a toggle. For example, if the display is currently showing amounts, the label “KW” appears on the first button, indicating that if
you press it, the display will change to values in energy units (kilowatts and kilowatt-hours).
and buttons are touch-sensitive. They allow you to configure all the required parameters of
The table below explains the function of each button:
Current Button
Label
The Display is in Dollar mode, meaning that all the values displayed in currency units. Pressing the button changes the label
Description
8 – SPEEDO
to
The Display is in Kilowatt Mode, meaning that all the values displayed are energy units (kilowatts and kilowatt-hours).
Pressing the button changes the label to
The Display is in NOW mode: all the values displayed are for the current billing period.
The Display is in PREV mode: all the values displayed are for the previous billing period. Pressing the button changes the
label to
The Display is in ACT mode: all the values displayed are actual consumption values. This function is only available if the
display is in NOW mode. Pressing the button changes the label to
The Display is in EST mode: all the values displayed are a calculated estimation of your consumption over the next 30 days.
Pressing the button changes the label to
The Display is in normal operation mode: the APPL function is inactive. Pressing the button changes the label to
The Display is in APPL mode. APPL allows you to measure the energy consumption of a single appliance. Pressing the
button changes the label to
Speedometer
Tier Indicator
Current Demand
Total
Consumption
Maximum Demand
The “SPEEDO” displays values representing your current electricity demand (in large numbers) as well as your total energy consumption (in
smaller numbers). The speedometer (the tri-colour circular bar) illustrates your current demand as a percentage of the maximum demand you
experienced in the current billing period. The maximum demand is the number shown at 3 o’clock on the speedometer and the large numbers are
your current demand.
When in “PREV” mode, the current demand value is the average, and the Max value is the peak, for the last billing period. The small numbers are
your total consumption for the last billing period.
In Configuration mode, the current demand and total consumption segments are used in conjunction with the Tier Indicator ( see below) to set
your electricity rates as well as your thresholds, if applicable.
In most cases, your Display will receive updated information every 30 seconds from your meter. However, some older meters only update their
information hourly. You can force your Display to retrieve actual information anyt ime by touching the Speedo. In order to reduce
communications congestion, your Display will only allow you to do this a maximum of 10 times per 5-m i nute period. Any attempt to force an
update beyond this limit causes the display of a message to that effect in the text area and the information is not updated.
9 – Tier indicator: This field indicates the current pricing tier, according to the rate schedule that is either automatically provided by the meter or
that you configured manually.
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