When will the sun finally shine again?

Since my storage unit was replaced with the SENEC P4, there have been no more "good" sunny days, so I couldn't really judge how the new storage unit would perform. On December 27, the time had finally come - there was enough sun to fully charge the 4 installed cells.

Over the course of the day, 16.9 kWh went into the storage system and gradually came out again over 6 hours from around 3 pm. Of course, this reduces the costs enormously, but there was still no real grid feed-in and it should of course look much better when the sun is in the sky for longer.

I've also started using Home Assistant to find out what the biggest consumers are. It's no surprise that the geothermal heat pump draws a lot, especially in winter. My network cabinet is also doing "very well". The dryer, washing machine, coffee machine, etc. are also always doing well. I work here with Shelly Plug S plugs for power consumption measurement and the HACS AddOn PowerCalc. How all this works, including measuring the consumption of the heat pump, will be explained in subsequent articles.

Public Listening: a train journey that is ... informative.

Today I'm once again traveling a longer distance by train, several hours towards the capital. I'm always amazed at how open some people are about conversations, phone calls and their laptops. Having recently read the book "The Abolition of Death", which explains the concept of public listening, I paid particular attention to it this time. A public listener is someone who simply listens in order to gather sensitive information. In the book, this was done deliberately, but for me it happens accidentally (and involuntarily). I usually actively listen away or use headphones with noise cancellation, but today I was curious.

What can you collect in one go?

  • What are your fellow travelers working on? Are they shopping (what, where, how much)? Are they just watching a movie? Or are they working on a report (the logo on the report makes it easy to see where they are working) that you can easily read?
  • How do you get into the laptop? Fingerprints are difficult, but very bad passwords are still often used. Ditto the simple access codes on cell phones (1234) or the Z or L if you can use the line guidance.
  • While this still requires a certain amount of personal effort, phone calls and conversations are "for everyone". Sometimes I can't believe how openly people talk about highly sensitive projects, customers, etc. here (I'll leave the disclosure of privacy out of the equation).

My conclusion: when I travel in public, I always use a privacy screen, both for my cell phone and my laptop. I generally don't make phone calls at all and if I do, I let the other person know that I can't talk freely and that we should leave it until later or use a chat application. If it's a business trip, talking business with colleagues is simply taboo for me. It's all really simple, but few people take it seriously.

When it comes to noise-canceling, I use Bose Quitcomfort Overear products (which provide a certain amount of isolation due to their design) or Apple AirPods.

Mission SENEC.Home P4 in the Home Assistant: completed.

Using the SENEC Web API and converting kW to kWh with helpers that convert the power curve using Integral worked. After about a full day, I was able to compare the curves in the Energy Dashboard and the SENEC iOS app. As both use the same database and the curves are identical, everything seems to have worked. I'm quite happy with that. Next, I'll see how I can get my geothermal heat pump into the dashboard as a consumer.

Oh yes, I often only find the best tips when everything is done. Is it the algorithm? Who really knows. In any case, here is one of the best tutorials on the energy dashboard that covers all the relevant aspects:

Energy dashboard problems with SENEC.Home P4

The Home P4 is installed and seems to be running. As I said, I'm waiting for the sun to come out so that I can see how many kWh are going into the storage system. And then go out again when necessary. Everything is displayed perfectly in the SENEC iOS app, but the Home Assistant energy dashboard no longer works. This is because the P4 is not (yet) supported and therefore the generic Web API must be used.

Said and done. But nothing is displayed or the corresponding sensors cannot be selected in the dashboard configuration. After a bit of research, I found out that the reason is that the Web API only displays the values in kW. However, the dashboard would like to have these aggregated in kWh. So I did some more research and lo and behold: you "simply" (if you know how) create a helper instance for each value - a total integral sensor, right? This then collects the kW values for an hour and they become kWh. I left the metric prefix empty. At the beginning I had "k" (kilo) in there, but that resulted in kkWh. So too small by a factor of 1000. The time unit is hours, the input sensor is selected from the Web API and bang, you can integrate the new sensor. But it's not quite as quick as that, there has to be a certain history first. And then something happens again in the dashboard. Over the next few days, I will find out whether this is the case by comparing it with the iOS app and the values from the Web API. Another step forward.

TheMagic5: Swimming goggles for every head

I've been swimming since I was 9 years old, sometimes in a club, many years on triathlon courses, now as a hobby, but still with distances of 2000m and more. Swimming goggles are indispensable and my beloved Michael Phelps model is obviously no longer available. As I've often heard about TheMagic5 through advertising, I decided to take action.

TheMagic5 emerged from a Kickstarter project and moved from Denmark to Charlotte, North Carolina. The founders have the appropriate sporting and entrepreneurial background, which I find very appealing. The promise is to create personalized swimming goggles. I tried that out.

First you choose a model and order it. The question "and what should be personalized about it?" is easy to answer. After the purchase, you download an app to your cell phone, with which the personalization can be assigned by order number. The app first measures your face and then, in a second step, standardizes the size (you take a photo with a credit card-sized card on your forehead). And that's all there is to it.

Shipping took 5 days - including a weekend in between. Very good! The glasses come in a high-quality case that protects them from crushing the rubber seals and scratching the lenses. There are also nose pieces included that allow you to adjust the distance minimally, depending on how narrow or wide you like it.

I adjusted the straps to fit my head and they felt great. Today I swam 2400m in them and what can I say? Although the goggles only fit loosely, they are absolutely tight and fit perfectly. No feeling of pressure at all after a total of 1 hour in the water without taking the goggles off. The vision is also brilliant. It remains to be seen whether this will remain stable over time and whether the rather high price is justified.

My switch to the SENEC.Home P4 hybrid: initial findings

In February, my Home 4 storage system was installed, which was throttled down to 70% by SENEC. At the beginning of November, the time had come - my storage system was replaced. Before I go into this, I'd like to share some experience with the "old" storage system, which I had ordered with 12.6 kWh. If I convert this to 70%, that makes approx. 8.8 kWh. My house consumption in summer was 0.5 kW, which, in my (perhaps too amateurish) opinion, should have been enough for many hours to easily get me through the night. But that never worked out, after 6 hours it was always the end of the day and the grid had to kick in again. If I do the math, I end up with just 3 kWh, let's say a generous 4 kWh. That's roughly 32%.

This is of course a joke and I ask myself: who has also had this experience? And: who knows how SENEC will compensate for the lost capacity? I will definitely look into this further and contact my general contractor, but also SENEC itself.

Now to the Home P4 hybrid. I didn't believe that it would be replaced in the near future, but it was D-Day at the beginning of November and the memory was replaced. Not the battery modules and the control unit, no, the entire device. It looks exactly the same on the outside as it does on the inside. The necessary updates were carried out via the Internet connection (unlike the Home 4, where several USB sticks had to be sent to the installer), the replacement was completed within 2 hours and everything looked the same as before, except ...

  • only 5 instead of 6 battery modules fit into the storage unit
  • Home Assistant integration has not worked since then(1)

I've only had 1 really sunny day since then, so I can't judge whether the battery charges to 100% (so far the maximum value has been around 80% . after all) and how far I get with it in phases without sun. It would be so easy if it were easier ... but it isn't. I will report again.

(1) In my opinion, this is because the new storage systems are only read out indirectly via the Web API via the SENEC portal and the units of measurement do not match the energy dashboard (e.g. kWh are not returned for the PV electricity generated, but kW - the dashboard does not like this. However, it is possible to convert this.

The energy transition at home - from the idea to operation. Experience with SENEC, Home 4 Storage, Home Assistant, and much more.

I'll start the description of my adventure into independence from oil and gas at the end. The PV modules are on the roof, the battery storage system is installed, everything is integrated into Home Assistant. And I'm delighted every day to see how cool it is to cover a very large part of my energy needs from the sun (the picture in the article shows the time curve with energy generation and consumption). The integration into Home Assistant was actually the easiest, but more on that later.

I already set out on this path when we were planning our new home in 2018. It was already clear to me at the time that I no longer wanted to be dependent on oil and gas in the foreseeable future. That's why we planned a geothermal heat pump (with appropriate subsidies). The drilling, house connection, heat generation (underfloor heating), hot water, etc. also went very smoothly. Just a quick note here: the heating circuit valves are KNX-capable and can therefore also be controlled via Home Assistant.

All those years I found the charm of PV systems ... rather suboptimal, but that has changed with the new regulations. The subsidy is right, availability has halfway normalized again after Corona, so I requested a consultation with SENEC at the end of 2022 after looking at various providers. Why SENEC? My thought was: they belong to EnBW and will certainly still be around tomorrow and should know how to do something like this. And the "SENEC Cloud", i.e. accessing energy from an account that you can call up again via your own feed-in, also makes an electric car interesting for me for the first time.

Fast Forward: everything has been running since February 12, 2024. Electricity is produced by the sun, the battery is charged and supplies electricity to the house again after sunset. But not at all as it should be. SENEC is currently throttling all storage systems to 70%, which is quite annoying. This is probably because the battery modules currently installed are not safe. And should therefore be replaced. The question is: when?

I will gradually be writing more articles about the various phases of this project and, as always, I look forward to the exchange. Let the sun shine!

30 Day Kettlebell Challenge - Mother went Shopping

I have written a lot about the idea of a healthy body as prerequisite for a healthy mind and joyful life. It was about eating properly, weight training(body weight training, calisthenics, functional training) and of course discipline. Over the last 4-5 years, kettlebell training are a key part of my weight training staying in shape. Kettlebells are more or less heavy balls with a handle and can be used for static and ballistic exercises.

Unlike the exercises with dumbbells or barbells, kettlebell exercises involve large numbers of repetitions in the sport, and can also involve large reps in normal training. Kettlebell exercises are in their nature holistic; therefore they work several muscles simultaneously and may be repeated continuously for several minutes or with short breaks. 

Wikipedia Entry

I use competition kettlebells which all have the same size regardless of their weight. That way, I'm more used to their handling even when taking heavier balls. Like many others, I have started during Covid in a time where gyms were closed and also after realising that I'm not a gym person. I started with basic exercises I found on YouTube (e.g. from Bär von Schilling, Geoff Neupert, and Johannes Kwella). If you do this by video watching only, take your time, take low weights, and film yourself or have someone watching you for improving the execution of the exercises.

I also found that I need change stimulus when I workout, that's why I bought some courses from the guys mentioned above, followed their training plans, and also some challenge. Today, I finished the 30 day workout from Johannes Kwella. This is nothing you can do immediately - you should build some strength first and be confident in executing the exercises (there are tons of training plans getting there). I'm proud that I finished the 30 days (now the 2nd time) and I feel great.

Let me show you how the last day looked like: you start with exercise 1 (1 left, 1 one right), then exercise 2 (2 left, 2 right). Then you start again, exercise 1, 2, and then 3. And then exercise 1, 2, 3 and 4, etc. until you have all 11 in a row. Each day is explained in a nice video where Johannes shows you how to do the excercises.

  • 1/1 Turkish Get Up
  • 2/2 Bottom Up Press
  • 3/3 Snatch
  • 4/4 Jerk
  • 5/5 Clean
  • 6/6 Swing
  • 7/7 Staggered Rows
  • 8/8 Cossack Squats
  • 9 Power Swings
  • 10 alternating Leg Passes to Body Catch 11/11 High Pulls
  • 12 Jump Squats

Phew. I feel like hulk now - next is Johannes' double kettlebell program (I worked on Geoff's double kettlebell programs before). Keeping you posted,

Why Asathor?

Sometimes, people ask me, what Asathor means for me. It's very simple - I'm a big comic fan (both DC and Marvel) and I liked the Thor character since I was a kid. Thor, the god of thunder, is also called Asathor. In the mythological Edda writings he was the protector of Midgard, the world of mankind against the giants from Jötunheim. A nice analogy to protecting mankind against cybercrime these days.

Fighting the Yoyo Effect, post Covid Thoughts.

Getting older (I think it started after 30+), I found it more difficult staying in shape. Although I exercise regularly, there were always phases (let's call that the yoyo effect) of gaining extra kilos and it became harder and harder to lose them again. For me, staying at a certain weight and staying fit is key for a fulfilling life. Why? When I add kilos, I have more pain, when I have pain, I'm getting mad at myself and others. Healthy body, healthy mind.

The entire Covid restrictions led to further difficulties in staying in form. Less contacts, less (outside) activities, getting more and more used to staying inside in front of your favourite streaming show.

While I made it to get back on track in terms of exercising, weight remained sort of an issue. Given my age, I went to the doctor for the typical health checks and they found that everything is ok. So it only could be my eating habits. While I try to eat "good" food as often as I can, something was wrong here. Cutting it short: I called my osteopath who is also a good coach for other live situations. And here is what she came up with:

  • There have to be longer breaks between eating (4-6 hours). If you don't do that, the body doesn't really consume the intake and it ends up in additional body fat (there are experts explaining that in all detail, for example Lothar Ursinus in his book "Gesund und aktiv Stoffwechselprogramm").
  • Breakfast can and should be with carbs (no devil, but needed as body fuel), then less carbs and more proteins in the subsequent meals during the day. Be careful which type of fat you have - there's good and not so good fat.
  • In order to follow such a program over time and not falling back into the yoyo effect, key to success is cheat meals where you eat what you want. I also added extra exercise sessions after such moments (e.g. the next day) to compensate.

So far, I follow this program since 8 weeks and after a difficult time really not eating anything in between, I'm getting used to it, even when being on the road for fun or business. Keeping you posted how this goes on and looking forward to your thoughts.