Symptoms
The dashboard indicates buying power while utility meter reports selling power. This guide addresses that particular contrast, not every fault that can occur with the product or service.
- Observable failure: The dashboard indicates buying power while utility meter reports selling power.
- Control test: Compare CT sensor arrow and grid import sign using a low-load midday observation.
- A confirmed correction must meet this outcome: Displayed power direction agrees with the utility meter across import and export.
One successful test is a useful clue, but a reliable resolution should survive reopening the application or repeating the original workflow without extra workarounds.
Why It Happens
Energy dashboards display interpreted measurements. Sign conventions, sensor mapping, billing intervals and actual electrical behavior can differ; compare independent evidence before concluding that a physical circuit is faulty.
An apparent failure of the whole system can originate in one stage. In this case, investigate current transformer orientation reversed before treating phase assignment incorrect or app convention reversed as facts.
Three competing explanations
- Current transformer orientation reversed.
- Phase assignment incorrect.
- App convention reversed.
These are hypotheses. Do not infer a hardware defect, account restriction or network outage from one status indicator alone. A result that supports current transformer orientation reversed does not automatically exclude phase assignment incorrect; the comparison needs to separate them.
Before Making Changes
Do not open panels, meters or high-voltage enclosures. Electrical measurements beyond the user interface require a qualified professional. Do not open live electrical panels.
Preserve the current state: note the affected product or account, current mode and time of the failed attempt. If settings will be changed, photograph or write down their original values. Keep copies of any unique files or evidence before overwriting anything.
Use a non-sensitive sample whenever possible. If the issue involves a shared device, building system, workplace account or regulated equipment, obtain the appropriate owner or administrator permission first. Stop if the test would compromise security, electrical protection, access or an animal's welfare.
Problem-Specific Diagnosis
Run this discriminating test before restarting or resetting the entire system: Compare CT sensor arrow and grid import sign using a low-load midday observation. Compare the observed result against the three paths below.
| Observation or suspected layer | Interpretation | Next controlled check |
|---|---|---|
| Current transformer orientation reversed | If the failing state changes under the comparison, current transformer orientation reversed is plausible. This is not yet proof. | Repeat with that one factor changed, then return to baseline. |
| Phase assignment incorrect | If the first change has no effect but a supported configuration differs, phase assignment incorrect moves higher on the list. | Inspect the relevant option or documented behavior without clearing unrelated settings. |
| App convention reversed | If both earlier paths are contradicted, investigate whether app convention reversed accounts for the timing or device-specific result. | Collect an event timestamp or status report for qualified support. |
Now apply the least-disruptive change that corresponds to the evidence: Record readings and contact a certified installer before changing any CT wiring. Avoid treating all three hypotheses at once; simultaneous changes erase the diagnostic value of the test.
Step-by-Step Troubleshooting
Begin with reversible comparisons. Use Advanced only if the evidence points to a deeper problem.
Verify the affected workflow
The dashboard indicates buying power while utility meter reports selling power. Write down where it happens, its most recent time and the state displayed by the product. Do not treat a nearby working feature as proof the whole path is healthy.
Run the safe comparison
Compare CT sensor arrow and grid import sign using a low-load midday observation. Use the same device, account and operating conditions where practical. Note what remains unchanged so the comparison is meaningful.
Try the smallest safe intervention
Record readings and contact a certified installer before changing any CT wiring. Make one adjustment at a time and preserve the previous value so it can be restored if the result becomes worse.
Confirm the real outcome
Displayed power direction agrees with the utility meter across import and export. Repeat the complete user-facing operation and then make sure unrelated protections and functions still work. If the result is inconsistent, restore the previous setting and continue diagnosis.
Separate the three suspected layers
Assess evidence for current transformer orientation reversed, phase assignment incorrect and app convention reversed separately. A positive result for one path is not evidence for every path. Preserve before-and-after observations, including timestamps.
Check the responsible subsystem
Compare per-phase polarity and meter mapping using installer diagnostic mode. Gather only logs and supported diagnostic views that apply to this exact scenario; do not change service-wide policy or hardware wiring.
Validate the unaffected path
Revisit the comparison: Compare CT sensor arrow and grid import sign using a low-load midday observation. If the first suspected cause is not supported, compare the behavior predicted by phase assignment incorrect with the behavior predicted by app convention reversed. Keep the first correction reversible.
Commit or escalate with evidence
Confirm: Displayed power direction agrees with the utility meter across import and export. If that cannot be reproduced, restore the original safe configuration and send sanitized observations to the equipment manufacturer, utility or a licensed electrician. Safety boundary: Do not open live electrical panels.
Solution Checklist
Solution Checklist
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Assuming current transformer orientation reversed is proven simply because the visible symptom matches this page.
- Changing multiple accounts, rules, connections or device settings before running the control: Compare CT sensor arrow and grid import sign using a low-load midday observation.
- Skipping this safety boundary: Do not open live electrical panels.
- Resetting, formatting, deleting credentials or replacing hardware without a confirmed backup, a supported recovery path and evidence that the step is necessary.
A setting that makes one symptom disappear is not always the correct permanent configuration. If it disables another essential function, revert it and investigate the underlying dependency rather than leaving an unsafe workaround in place.
How to Verify the Fix
The primary pass condition is specific: Displayed power direction agrees with the utility meter across import and export. Repeat the original workflow, not a loosely related shortcut, and confirm both the previously failing behavior and an unaffected comparison still work.
- Record the before-and-after state in the same location, account and operating mode.
- Repeat the original comparison: Compare CT sensor arrow and grid import sign using a low-load midday observation.
- Check the stated pass result: Displayed power direction agrees with the utility meter across import and export.
- Confirm that normal security, notification, storage or physical safety protections remain enabled.
If the result works only once or disappears after reopening the app, reconnecting the accessory or waiting for the next scheduled event, treat the issue as intermittent instead of fixed. Keep the event time and what changed between attempts.
If the Problem Continues
If the safe correction does not work, move to a focused deeper investigation: Compare per-phase polarity and meter mapping using installer diagnostic mode. This is a different path from the first settings check; use it only if the device or service supports the required diagnostics.
When escalating to the equipment manufacturer, utility or a licensed electrician, provide the exact symptom, result of the control test, changes already tried, time of occurrence and any non-sensitive error or status data. Explain whether current transformer orientation reversed, phase assignment incorrect and app convention reversed were supported or contradicted by evidence.
Do not share account recovery codes, private documents, live access tokens, sensitive location histories or full recordings merely to prove the problem. Redact or summarize identifiers before opening a public support request.
Prevent Recurrence
Keep a short reference note with the working configuration and the successful check: Displayed power direction agrees with the utility meter across import and export. After an app update, firmware change, network migration or scheduled clock change, run the same short test before depending on the function again.
Watch for the condition that originally made the failure visible: The dashboard indicates buying power while utility meter reports selling power. Where practical, retain an alternative approved way to perform the essential task so that one device, cloud service or interface does not become a single point of failure.
FAQ
How can I tell whether current transformer orientation reversed is responsible?
Run the controlled comparison: Compare CT sensor arrow and grid import sign using a low-load midday observation. A change that specifically affects the failing layer supports this hypothesis, but repeat it before changing permanent settings.
What if the real cause is phase assignment incorrect rather than current transformer orientation reversed?
Do not repeat the initial correction blindly. Check the supported diagnostic path: Compare per-phase polarity and meter mapping using installer diagnostic mode. Keep the earlier working configuration recorded so you can reverse the test.
When is this particular issue resolved?
The decisive result is: Displayed power direction agrees with the utility meter across import and export. If it fails after the normal workflow is repeated, document whether app convention reversed still explains the remaining behavior and escalate with non-sensitive observations.