I have been interested in weather-related data for a while, and once I went into the renewable energy business, it has become even more intriguing to me. I like to know how much sun, rain, wind, and humidity we are experiencing. I want to know about the inside temperature, the outside temperature and the highs and lows for the day or the month. How many sunny days did we have in November? How many inches of rainfall in April? How high were those gusts of wind we just experienced, what is the wind chill factor, and what do the barometer do when we got that sudden 20 minute white-out blizzard where the snow was blowing sideways.
The device I got is a Davis Vantage Vue. The measuring components all mount onto a solar powered station, which can sit on a 1-2″ pole. This station sends data wirelessly to the display inside our house, which gets its power from the wall outlet.
Even though it was 4F degrees with a wind chill that made it feel like -15F, my husband and I set out to find a home for it where it could experience all the elements. Since it is winter and the ground is frozen and the house we are in is a rental… we decided to lash the pole against a secure banister out near the lake where it will get both wind and sun, but it won’t be a permanent setting. It should be easy enough to relocate when we move into 78 Main St
, which I hope will be this summer.
It has been collecting data now since January 1st. I check it out a few times a day — mostly focusing on the temperature data, the wind chill, prevailing winds, and humidity numbers. This has been great, but I couldn’t stop there. One of the features of this weather station is that you can get the optional ‘Weatherlink” interface and software to turn your computer into a data logging center — and send that data to a website. I couldn’t resist the data logging feature since I am a strong proponent for measuring things, providing feedback, and creating information out of data.
I just got to the point where the display station has sent files up to my website and I started having all sorts of problems with my website (which is why it has taken so long to get this blog online). As soon as I can get regular data being posted, I’ll add a link at the website.
[...] to improve systems… like to reduce our energy use, for instance. [See other blogs on "Weather or Not", "Data Logging -Real Information", and "Can We Share our Energy [...]
[...] in January I set up the weather station I got for Christmas near my house (see Weather or Not). It was relatively easy to get it up and running and to run the software that gives you a [...]