There’s something about January that always feels like a reset button. The Christmas decorations come down, the new year’s optimism is still fresh, and suddenly you find yourself with a bit more time to tinker with projects that have been on the back burner. Looking through my camera roll from this month, it’s clear that January 2025 was a mix of cozy nights in, kitchen experiments, and getting stuck into some home tech projects.
Kitchen Adventures with the Crimpit
One of the highlights of the month was finally getting my hands on a Crimpit set. If you haven’t come across these yet, they’re these clever little gadgets that let you make sealed wraps, toasties, and calzones in the air fryer. I picked up the wrap sealer, toastie maker, and the cradle, and I’ve been having far too much fun experimenting.
The calzones have been a particular success. There’s something satisfying about crimping the edges and watching them come out golden and perfectly sealed. It’s become a bit of a go-to for quick dinners when I can’t be bothered with anything elaborate. Fill them with whatever’s in the fridge, pop them in the air fryer, and you’ve got a meal sorted.
Solar Monitoring Upgrade
On the tech front, January saw me finally getting around to improving my solar panel monitoring setup. I installed an Eastron meter to track the solar generation in real-time. It’s one of those projects that’s been on the list forever, and it feels good to finally have it done.
Being able to see exactly how much the panels are generating throughout the day has been brilliant. Even in January with the shorter days and overcast skies, it’s satisfying to watch those kilowatts add up. I’ll probably do a more detailed write-up on the setup once I’ve gathered more data and integrated it properly with Home Assistant.
I also switched over to Grain Broadband this month. The setup was straightforward, and so far the connection has been solid. Always nice when an ISP change goes smoothly without any drama.
Good Times with Good People
It wasn’t all tech and cooking though. Had some great evenings hanging out with Adam Todd, which is always the best way to spend January when it’s miserable outside. Gaming sessions, catching up, and generally just enjoying good company.
Call of Duty Modern Warfare III has been getting a fair bit of play time. Nothing beats a bit of competitive gaming with mates to see out the dark evenings.
Tech Corner: Solar Monitoring Tips
Since I’ve just set up my solar monitoring system, here are a few tips if you’re thinking of doing the same:
Choosing an Energy Meter
The Eastron SDM series meters are excellent for solar monitoring. They support Modbus communication, which makes them easy to integrate with Home Assistant or other home automation platforms. The SDM230 is great for single-phase setups and can track both import and export.
Quick Docker Tip
If you’re running Home Assistant in Docker and want to add Modbus support for your solar meter, make sure your container has access to the USB device. Add this to your docker-compose.yml:
devices:
- /dev/ttyUSB0:/dev/ttyUSB0This maps your USB-to-RS485 adapter through to the container so Home Assistant can communicate with the meter.
What to Track
For solar, the key metrics are: current generation (watts), daily total (kWh), and if your meter supports it, export vs self-consumption. Once you’ve got the basics working, you can build dashboards to visualise generation patterns and see how weather affects output.
Looking Ahead
February is looking to be another busy month. I’ve got a few more home automation projects in the pipeline, and I’m planning to do some more experimenting with the Crimpit (pizza pockets are next on the list). Here’s hoping the weather warms up a bit too, though I won’t hold my breath on that one.
Until next time!
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