EdgeIQ Voltage Optimiser - Anyone Has It Installed?

• 

  Sunny84 on 15/01/2024 - 15:33

  +1

  High grid voltage can decrease your solar harvest by up to 15% It will degrade your solar inverter and could prevent you from generating power when the sun is out!

  Dont know much about the EdgeIQ device but honestly do you have solar and do you know if and how often your grid exceeds 253vac? Without that info it's hard to estimate the solar savings.

  • 

    krisp on 15/01/2024 - 17:14

    The main issue is the constant overvoltage present in the home. I can rarely see less than 245V and often higher than that.
    In theory, the idea behind that device is to get the voltage to stable 220V to prolong electronic devices live. At least that's what the marketing says.

    • 

      Sunny84 on 15/01/2024 - 21:55

      +1

      I've had solar in two different properties since 2009 and most of the original electronics are such as tvs, fridges, washing machine etc. are still running fine 15 years later so i'm not sure how relevant controlling overvoltage is for prolonging electronics in these modern days.

      I can understand the solar derating issue but thats subject to where you live e.g where I live in Sydney I only see over voltage a handful of times for short periods (mostly autumn and spring. To prevent the derating you can always run a large load like washing, dishwasher, a/c or ev charging which can normally drop 5-10v lol.

• 

  ESEMCE on 15/01/2024 - 16:09

  +7

  Reads like an ad for Headlight Fluid to me.

  I can see no reason why decreasing the voltage feed into the house would measurably increase your solar production especially after factoring losses of the device itself. DC systems push far higher voltages than 240V anyway and to export out to the grid you'd need the EdgeConx to Invert the solar power up to grid voltage anwyay.

  AC Motors will run slower, Resistive Elements will run cooler, which might result in power savings, if you were manually stopping the motor or element after x time, but for most cases, the device will just have to run for longer to achieve the same amount of work and therefore use the same overall amount of power.

  • 

    Chandler on 16/01/2024 - 12:19

    This. I do not see how this device will result in any noticeable change to your solar output.

    I can see some potentially benefit for devices - especially sensitive ones - although realistically this is likely just highlighting defective/low quality products more than causing an actual issue. i.e. higher grid voltage, lower quality devices may see insulation breakdown/failure causing a fault. But if they were manufactured to the appropriate standards/quality, it would not have occurred.

• 

  Sye on 15/01/2024 - 16:11

  edgeconx

  Say no more

• 

  geekcohen on 15/01/2024 - 16:26

  The concept seems appealing, especially when considering the terrible quality of the electrons in our grid.

  Are you in an area where there are frequent issues? If so, then yes, it might be appealing. But if you are in a built-up area where it is pretty reliable, I don't think it would be that beneficial.

  If you are in a regional area with lots of fluctuation with your power voltage, then it might be appealing and be worth it for your entire house.

  • 

    ESEMCE on 15/01/2024 - 17:00

    +1

    A Home Battery would be a better option, it'd resolve Over and under Voltage as well as Outages.
    Obviously a different price bracket, but I have serious doubts that this product is anything more than an empty box with some scary looking stickers on the outside!

    • 

      krisp on 15/01/2024 - 17:16

      -1

      a home battery = thousands of $$$ and tens of payback years :(

      • 

        ESEMCE on 16/01/2024 - 08:59

        +3

        Yeah, I did acknowledge the price differential, however since you've brought up payback period.
        At least a battery will (close to) pay itself off over the course of its life. Versus this empty box of promises that has no actual function and will therefore has an infinite payback period.

        • 

          krisp on 18/01/2024 - 09:04

          @ESEMCE: Battery payback period is over 30 years - beyond its expected life and way beyond its warranty. Plus, battery does not provide any voltage stabilisation or conditioning. It only kicks in when solar stops working (night).

          • 

            ESEMCE on 18/01/2024 - 09:46

            @krisp: Your wording implies that you still seem to believe this product is anything more than a scam.
            Good luck with it, I hope I (and the rest of us) are wrong if you decide to proceed

    • 

      dan2k on 16/01/2024 - 14:56

      I don't think a home battery works like that. That is more like an ACTIVE Uninterruptable Power Supply (UPS) where your load is always powered by the battery and inverter.
      A home battery is more a PASSIVE UPS where the battery charger will be sucking some voltage but not doing anything about the voltage level passed through.

• 

  Switchblade88 on 15/01/2024 - 16:36

  +2

  It sounds like it might be a Power Factor Correction device. That means that if your property is not suffering from PFC losses (which is extremely unlikely) this is a $1500 paperweight.

  All the other claims are pure snake oil.

  • 

    krisp on 15/01/2024 - 17:16

    I seem to feel the same

• 

  jugsy on 15/01/2024 - 17:13

  Identify if you have a problem first, and then consider a solution….

  • 

    krisp on 15/01/2024 - 17:17

    problem has been described at the very beginning - unstable overvoltage.

    • 

      Chandler on 16/01/2024 - 12:21

      +1

      How were you made aware of the over voltage / stability issue/s?

      • 

        krisp on 18/01/2024 - 08:57

        +1

        smart energy meters and logs on UPSs

        • 

          Chandler on 18/01/2024 - 11:03

          @krisp: You'll need to check for your state, but residential voltages are stipulated by the government and Australian Standards. In 2006 QLD went from "240V" to "230V", which mean the maximum went from 254V to 253V - under the 255V mentioned on the EdgeIQ pages. If you're seeing voltages over your state's regulated maximum, that needs to be reported and rectified (as in fixed, not converted to DC :P).

          This particular product feels to me like it's praying on people. I believe it would do what it says on the tin: regulate voltage; but what it says in the marketing… no.

          I don't know what impact a voltage regulation system would have on solar export, since your panels would now need to push power back through the voltage regulator to the grid, and as stated above, the scaremongering about the 255V grid voltage in the marketing just shouldn't happen.

          Also all domestic electrical products will have standards requiring them to be able to handle a level of overvoltage - I don't work in that area of the market, so I don't know what it is exactly - so temporary spikes should be easily handled by them.

• 

  SBOB on 15/01/2024 - 17:40

  +2

  terrible quality of the electrons in our grid.

  I feel you're not qualified to make a judgement on a piece of electrical related equipment based on this post.

  110% snake oil product for 99.9% of people's installation,overpriced surge aresstor and power factor correction that in a home environment makes absolutely no difference.

• 

  brendanm on 16/01/2024 - 01:50

  considering the terrible quality of the electrons in our grid.

  Tee hee.

• 

  pencilhead on 16/01/2024 - 14:10

  The CON in edgecon is what I'd be taking out of it. This is 100% scam.

• 

  lgacb08 on 17/01/2024 - 12:30

  Do you have solar? 245 isn't much, before my place has baseline voltage above that nd no issue. Once I had solar it consistently above 250. And on some cool sunny days it was nearly 260. That's when I raised complaints and took distributor 3 months to fix. If yours is the number with solar I wouldn't be worried because it will take a while to get to the 253v threshold where dnsp might act.