HELLO.

MY NAME IS

holmes

V1.05

Contents
Introducing holmes System requirements Quick start guide Glossary The holmes page Data collection Account Usage New things in holmes 1 1 2 6 8 10 11 18 22

Introducing holmes
Hello. My name is holmes. Together with wattson, I help you keep track of the electricity you use around your home, how much youve spent, and how your energy use affects the environment. Use me correctly, and I can help you save money as well as doing your bit to save the planet. I work with wattson 01, Wattson Silverlining, Wattson Solar and Wattson XL. Ive been developed by DIY Kyoto exclusively for their customers. Put simply, I turn all that data which wattson collects into graphs and charts to make it easier for you to understand how your home uses electricity. I work on both PCs and Macs, so whatever computer you have, youll be able to use me in exactly the same way.

System requirements
I dont need much to run properly on your computer. Before you install me, just make sure that your computer has at least these specifications: Apple Macintosh Power Macintosh G3 OSX 10.4 or later 128 MB RAM 20 MB of available disk space Free USB port Windows PC Windows XP, Pentium III 128 MB RAM 20 MB of available disk space Free USB port

Quick start guide

Now that wattson and I are in your home, youll be itching to start using us straightaway. This quick guide will help you get started with the minimum of fuss. Of course, youll want to read the rest of this User Guide, as well as the Owners Manual which came with wattson just to make sure youre doing everything properly to get the best out of us both. If you are upgrading your old holmes software, the instructions are just the same as for a new installation. Your old data will be safe and will be read by the new holmes software.

3 Depending on the type of computer you have, start by doing the following: Apple Macintosh 1 / Download the holmes software at www.diykyoto.com 2 / Uncompress the zip archive 3 / Double-click to mount the image file 4 / Double-click Install holmes and follow the on-screen instructions 5 / The holmes folder will be opened at the end of the install process Windows PC 1 / Download the holmes software at www.diykyoto.com 2 / Uncompress the zip archive 3 / Run the holmes installer executable 4 / Follow the on-screen instructions to install holmes 5 / A shortcut will be placed on your desktop 6 / At the end of the install process, a separate driver installer will be run. Press enter to close the window once it says the driver has been successfully installed.

Running Holmes for the first time 1 / Run the holmes software 2 / When you first use me, youll see my welcome screen. Before collecting any readings from wattson, I need your current electricity rate so make sure youve got a recent electricity bill handy. 3 / You can either enter a single flat rate, which will be used to calculate costs for all electricity usage day or night, or you can click on Advanced Rates and enter much more specific rates for day and night and the periods at which these apply. Using Advanced Rates will produce more accurate cost calculations. 4 / Once youve entered your rates, click Save and apply. This will save your rates to your computer for later use. 5/ You can also turn to the Options tab to set your time zone and change the displayed currency for wattson. 6/ You now have access to all the other functions I have to offer.

Connecting wattson 1 / Plug wattson into a free USB port on your computer 2 / If Im not running, start me up and Ill begin collecting data automatically 3 / If Im already running, just click Collect Now 4 / My collection window will pop up to show you how things are progressing 5 / If readings are available, Ill ask if you want to proceed. Click Yes. Dont worry if I cant find wattson at the first try, I am searching through all the ports configured in your computer. If I cant find wattson try one more time before asking for help. Thats the quick way to start using wattson and me. Now read the rest of this User Guide for full details of what I do and how I do it. Upgrading holmes from an older version When upgrading it may take a few moments to convert your new settings, so be patient. The installation wizard will ask you whether you want to enter your time based tariff (if you have one) and also change your time zone and currency settings. Moving holmes to another computer In order to move your data to another computer, you need to save two files (data.db and prefs) from your old computer and place them on your new computer. This is best done after you have installed holmes on your new computer, but before you connect it to wattson. This is so that you can identify where holmes places these files on your new computer, as it varies between different operating systems.

Glossary
There are some terms used in this User Guide which you may not be familiar with. This glossary will help you to understand whats meant by each one. Energy This refers to the total amount of energy used in a given time period and is measured in kilowatthours (kwh). Most electricity tariffs are calculated using a cost per kwh basis. Power Power is the way we measure how quickly energy is being used. A high-powered appliance such as a heater consumes energy more quickly than a night light, for instance. Cost This is the cost of the energy used in a given time period, and its calculated based on the tariff set. The values from the graph indicate how much is spent per time period (depending on the scale). It should be noted that the costs shown are estimates and are provided to give an indication

of cost wattson and holmes are not accurate enough to be used for metering. CO2 This refers to the number of tonnes of carbon dioxide released into the atmosphere as a result of your electricity use. We have used a national average of carbon dioxide released per kwh of electricity. Future versions of holmes will allow you to change this value particularly relevant for people that use green energy suppliers. Simple Rate A flat rate measured in pence (or cents, etc) of how much you pay for 1 kwh. This flat rate will be applied to calculate costs for all electricity usage, day or night. Advanced Rates These consist of several pieces of information and can be found on your bill. There are two types of advanced rates: time based tariffs (night and day, economy 7, peak and shoulder) and volume based tariffs (first X kwh at Y then further units at Z). Using advanced rates will produce more accurate cost calculations. Collecting Readings The process of collecting your usage readings from wattson. Uploading Readings The process of uploading your usage readings to your DIY Kyoto account. You can view your own data online at the DIY Kyoto community site. You can show people how and when you are saving electricity and also compare your electricity usage with other wattson owners in the next street, the next town or even the next country! Range The time between a start and end date.

The holmes page

When you use me, the screen youll want to look at a lot is my holmes page. Its from here that you can see all that valuable data which wattson has been busy collecting. Its also the best place to start when you use me.
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At the top of the holmes page, youll see a navigation bar that includes some useful information as well as some buttons. Heres what it all means: 1 / Connect with wattson Click this, and Ill start collecting data from wattson. See the Data Collection section of this User Guide for more details. 2 / Last Upload Date Here, Ill show the last time you uploaded your usage data to the DIY Kyoto website. See the Account section of this User Guide for more details.

3 / Last Collect Date This is where youll see the last date on which I collected data from wattson not to be confused with the last date that wattson collected data from your meter. 4 / Number of Days This is the total number of days that usage data is held. 5 / Current wattson ID You can use me with many different wattsons so it helps to see which one youre dealing with when looking at the data Ive collected from him. The serial number reminds you which wattson youre using at that moment. See how to set your current wattson in the Account section of this User Guide. Youll also find that my holmes page gives you an overview of the readings Ive collected so far: 6 / Totals Money So Far - The sum of all the costs Ive collected from wattson. kwh So Far - The sum of all the usage data Ive collected from wattson. Averages Energy Per Day - An average of all the usage data Ive collected, multiplied by 24. Power - The average power reading. Comparisons Annual Projections - The average daily cost multiplied by 365. Annual Goal - A target which you can set yourself.

Data collection
Ready for me to start collecting data from wattson? Then simply plug him into a spare USB port on your computer. Do this regularly, and itll take just a few seconds to collect all that data. So, what happens when I collect data from wattson? Heres the process in brief: 1 / First I find wattson by searching your computers ports 2 / Next, I confirm wattsons ID number and other details 3 / I then look to see if theres any new data to collect 4 / If there is new data, Ill ask you if youd like me to collect it* 5 / I extract the data from wattson and store it in a local database 6 / I then ask you to confirm completion, and you close the collection window*
*If the Auto Collect service is activated, this step is completed automatically. See the Account section of this User Guide for more details on the Auto Collect Service.

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While Im collecting data, details of what Im doing are shown in the collection window. Dont worry if you see days repeating themselves. This is just my way of double-checking that Ive got all the data correctly. Very occasionally, wattson and I might misunderstand each other and youll see an error. This is usually because wattson was busy doing something else and missed my request for data. Start the collection process again, and wattson and I will straighten things out. Before you unplug wattson When wattson and I are done talking to each other, you can safely disconnect us by ejecting him. Roll your mouse over the picture of wattson thats always at the top of my screen, click on the eject symbol that appears, then unplug wattson from your USB port. Doing it this way will make sure your computer doesnt crash and I dont make wattson freeze.

Account
My account settings allow you to adjust how I display data and make calculations. Its split into several sections, which Ill explain to you now:

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Data My Data menu is a useful section that lets you do all kinds of clever stuff with the data wattson has shared with me. Heres what each of the four menu items is for: Export Readings If you want to keep any of the data from wattson in a separate file that can be used by most spreadsheet and database management systems, select Next step, choose a start and end date for readings to export, click Next step again and save the data on your computer as a file.

Change Past Rates You might need to re-enter rates information for readings which have already been taken (maybe you put in the wrong rates to begin with). Click Next Step, choose the start and end dates, and once youve clicked Next step again, your past data will be replaced by information based on the new rate youve chosen. But make sure you put in your new rate before you use this function. This might take some time if you have a lot of data to change, so why not split this up into smaller chunks such as a month at a time. Upload Readings You can view your data online at the DIY Kyoto community site. You can see all your data online and show others how and when you are saving electricity. You can compare your electricity usage with other wattson owners in the next street, the next town or even in the next country. To upload your energy usage data, you need to have a user account with the DIY Kyoto Community. Click the Join button to go to the sign-up page. Once you have your username and password, you can enter them in the right fields and click Start upload. Delete Readings If you want to delete readings from my database (though not from wattson), click Next step, choose a start and end date for readings to delete and click Delete data. But be careful theres no way I can get data back once Ive deleted it.

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Rates Enter either a fixed Simple Rate or use my Advanced Rates Wizard to enter day and night rates. Id suggest you have a recent electricity bill handy for this bit.

Advance Rates If you have different rates at different times of the day choose that option and if you pay a service charge or a standard charge that doesnt change with your usage choose the standing/service charge option. 1/ Enter your standard rate of electricity. This may include a different price when you have used over a certain amount. 2/ Enter your standing/service charge. 3/ In the tariff box enter the rate for other times of day and call that rate something that makes sense e.g. Night Rate or Peak Rate. 4/ Click the colour with your mouse and then click the time on the 24 hour clock to apply that rate. 5/ Repeat this for all your different rates and times. 6/ You will see a summary of this on my next screen. 7/ You can go back and adjust the rates at any time. 8/ When you are satisfied you can press the Save & Apply button and I will give you the option to update Wattson right now.

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Options Here, you change some of my options and alter how I work for you. 1 / Select default wattson If you want me to collect data for more than one wattson, you can select which wattson you wish to view usage data for. This information doesnt change automatically when you collect with an additional wattson, so dont forget to adjust this setting whenever necessary. 2 / Select currency Choose your local currency and this will be updated on your wattson the next time I collect data from him.

3 / Enable generated logging If youre generating your own electricity, I can log this along with the power your home is using. Once you check this box, Ill let wattson know that youd like him to record the energy youre generating. Then the next time he and I talk, he can give me two lots of data. 4 / Auto collect data from wattson Check this box if you want me to collect your data for you every day. Dont forget, however, that youll need wattson plugged into your computer and Ill need to be running for this to work. 5 / Auto upload data to diykyoto.com Check this box if you want me to upload your data for you every day. Dont forget, however, that youll need wattson plugged into your computer and Ill need to be running for this to work. Youll also need to make sure youre connected to the internet. 6 / Display current wattson power reading If youd like me to show you what wattsons currently telling me about your power usage, check this box. It is important to eject me if you choose this option. 7 / Upload current wattson power reading Check this box if you want me to upload wattsons current power reading. Dont forget, however, that youll need wattson plugged into your computer and Ill need to be running for this to work. Youll also need to make sure youre connected to the internet. 8/ Select time zone. You will need to tell me in which time zone you live so that I can upload data to the DIY Kyoto Community correctly.

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Goals Enter your energy use goal for the year this is then displayed on the holmes page.

Usage
This is my very heart, if you like. It allows you to view the usage data I collect from wattson.

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Introduction to the data wattson stores data at five-minute intervals, which means 288 values for every 24-hour period. Every five minute value has a cost (pence/cents, etc) assigned to it, which is stored at the time of readings collections. So historically recorded readings and costs are not affected by current rates. Graph Types I can show you your usage data in four different types of graph. Selecting one of these options will draw a new graph using the appropriate measurement. Energy: kwh (Column chart)

Power: Watts (Line chart) Cost: (Column chart) Co2: KG (Column chart) Graph Scale Each Graph Type has a choice of four time scales, which will alter how the usage data is formatted on the graph: Months: monthly usage (12 months displayed max.) Days: daily usage (7 days displayed max.) 24 Hours: hourly usage (24 hours displayed max.) Hours: hourly usage (4 hours displayed max.) Navigating the data As soon as Ive drawn your selected graph, you can navigate horizontally through the currently selected range. Selected range means the period of time youre viewing, and its displayed below the horizontal scroll bar. By default, the graph will show the most recently collected data. To navigate, click and drag the horizontal slider or click the arrows on each end of the slider to jump one measurement up or down. (Measurements will correspond to the Graph scale selected.) Understanding the graphs Scale Every time you select a new range, graph type or scale, Ill draw you a new graph. When this happens, the vertical (Y) axis is adjusted to show the data properly. Data Every time you move the horizontal scroll bar or the step arrows, Ill redraw the contents of the graph and update the horizontal (X) axis. Printing graphs Youll see you can also ask me to print out any of my graphs so that you can look at them without being at your computer. Its a handy option to have but think carefully about the environment before printing anything unnecessarily.

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Colours To help show instantly that a columns usage is high or low, Ill colour the top of the column. The following diagram shows what these colours represent.

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low consumption

high consumption

Values To see values, roll your mouse over the column or line. Renewables If you are collecting data from Solar Cells, Wind Turbine or other micro-generation then you will see that I have a slider just below the print button. Slide this to green and Ill show your generated electricity on the energy and power graph. We have a manual especially for renewables which can be found at www.diykyoto.com/support.

Using the calendar My calendar is multi-functioning, allowing you to browse historical data and select ranges to view. Years Browse Years using the left and right arrows. Months Months highlighted in pink show that I have usage data stored for that month. Click on a month to view only that months data. Weeks Each week is selectable by the arrow at the start of that week. Click the arrow next to the week to view just that weeks data. So, there you have it. See how easy it is to use me in conjunction with wattson? Heres to lots of data collected, lots of energy saved and to reduced electricity bills in the months ahead. If you have any technical questions about me or my friend wattson, please send them to: helpdesk@diykyoto.com

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New things in holmes v1.03 1/ The ability to change tariffs for data already collected. 2/ The ability to delete old data (but not the days) and to clear the wattson database. 3/ Upload your data to the DIY Kyoto community site. 4/ Collect all data features into a single tab. 5/ Export of data, including data from micro-generated electricity. 6/ More flexibility with time based tariffs. 7/ Add additional currencies to list. 8/ Add an eject button to disconnect wattson. 9/ Add a live update option for holmes and the online community. 10Improve installation procedure for Windows Vista users and Mac Leopard users. 11/ And solved bugs from the previous version. New things in holmes v1.03.2 1/ Given more flexibility for time based tariffs. Giving up to 5 charge rates within a 24 hour period. New things in holmes v1.03.3 1/ Introduction of display of generated electricity on Energy and Power graphs. New things in holmes v1.04 1/ Introduction of data storage in local time. New things in holmes v1.05 1/ Supporting the extension for Wattson XL. 2/ Improvements for data collection timeouts. 3/ And solved bugs including home page averages and timeshifts.

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22.02.2011