How would you clamp meter a ring main ??

[Collectors]

One thing i like on these so called MCB's is every item on the list they do, can be on or off. So if you want to use the meter part & the time switch to lets say control lighting for security, then that's all you use. The rest can be left switched off. You only dial in what you want. & at around £10 each its not bad.

 

[mikehammer69]

They’d have some specific uses for sure

Controlling specific circuits subject to their rating which cant be relied upon . If they say 16A you still wouldn’t be switching an immersion direct with them

Definitely not a road you want to go down having a multifunction gadget per circuit

Domestic circuits in the main should be normally energised

 

[SimonH2]

Yes they appear to be another daft gadget imo for the reasons i outlined below

I can see they have their uses.

Personally I wouldn't use them unless the protocols were documented (or reverse engineered by someone smarter them I am) so they could be quarantined on their own network and talk only to software running on my own server. Doing that, wouldn't be too hard to setup multiple registers for different tariff rates.

Except for the modular load monitoring which is a better practice than the clamping of wires in board etc

Adding extra devices, extra box, lots of extra connections.
Vs. Slipping a toroid over each metered circuit. If your pedantic about regs, still add an extra box, but don't need any extra connections.
Either can be as accurate (or otherwise) as the measuring system supports. Many can do true power measurement by having a voltage/phase input. One of the "round tuit" projects on my list was a 16 channel monitor design I came across a while ago - true & reactive power, power factor, voltage, current, all high accuracy with a dedicated measurement chip.