Dynamic Energy Pricing from easyEnergy

S.C.O.R.E. → Convenience → DeviceControl

Overview

The easyEnergy integration provides real-time energy and gas prices from the Dutch utility company, allowing homeowners to optimize their energy usage based on current market rates. This capability helps users save money by making informed decisions on when to use energy-intensive appliances.

Benefits

• Access to real-time pricing enables cost-effective energy consumption.
• Helps in planning energy-intensive tasks like laundry or dishwashing during cheaper price periods.
• Promotes energy conservation by encouraging users to reduce usage during peak pricing hours.

Intent

The primary purpose of the easyEnergy capability is to retrieve and display dynamic energy and gas prices hourly. By providing this data, it enables homeowners to adjust their energy usage habits, ultimately leading to lower energy bills and a more efficient home.

Preconditions

• Active integration with the easyEnergy API.
• Home Assistant setup and running.
• Internet connection for data retrieval.
• Home Assistant installed and configured.
• Integration available and authenticated: Zigbee2MQTT.
• Device installed and reachable: Energy Monitoring.

Actors

• Homeowner managing energy costs
• Family members adjusting energy usage
• Guests being aware of energy-efficient practices

Trigger

The capability is triggered on an hourly basis to fetch the latest energy and gas prices from easyEnergy.

Workflow Diagram

flowchart TD
    A[Hourly Trigger] -->|fetch| B{New Prices Available?}
    B -->|Yes| C[Update Energy Prices]
    C --> D[Notify Users of New Rates]
    B -->|No| E[Exit Without Action]

Workflow Description

1. Fetch Energy Prices

At the beginning of each hour, the system queries the easyEnergy API to retrieve the latest energy and gas prices.

2. Check for Updates

The system evaluates whether new pricing information is available compared to the last fetched data.

3. Update Prices

If new prices are available, the system updates the stored prices in Home Assistant for future reference.

4. Notify Users

Users receive notifications regarding any significant changes in energy prices to help them adjust their usage.

5. Log Data

The updated prices are logged for historical reference and analysis to track pricing trends over time.

Postconditions

The system maintains an updated record of hourly energy and gas prices, enabling users to make informed decisions about their energy consumption.

Optional Enhancements

• Integrate with smart appliances to automate usage based on pricing.
• Provide a dashboard view of price trends over the past week or month.
• Add alerts for when prices drop below a certain threshold.

Recommended Components

Source Examples

• 2026.1: Home is where the dashboard is ?? – Home Assistant (homeassistant)