Dynamic Energy Cost Tracking with Nordpool Prices

General
1

I recently faced the challenge of accurately calculating the energy costs of individual devices under dynamic electricity prices, such as those provided by Nordpool in Estonia. The traditional methods available in platforms like Home Assistant weren’t sufficient for my needs, as they either required compromising on device-specific tracking or made it difficult to monitor overall grid consumption. Additionally, the lack of integrated price calculation for devices and limited data utilization were significant drawbacks.

To address these issues, I developed a solution that integrates dynamic pricing with device-specific energy consumption tracking. This method involves creating sensors that read the current electricity price and device power consumption, then calculating the cost in real-time. The solution also includes utility meters for daily, monthly, and yearly cost breakdowns, providing a comprehensive overview of energy expenses.

Here’s a simplified version of the configuration I used in Home Assistant:

yaml
sensor:

  • platform: template
    sensors:
    ev_charger_cost_right_now:
    friendly_name: “EV Charger Cost Right Now”
    unit_of_measurement: “EUR”
    value_template: >
    {% set total_el_price = states(‘sensor.total_el_price’) | float(default=0) %}
    {% set ev_charger_power = states(‘sensor.ev_charger_power’) | float(default=0) %}
    {{ (total_el_price * ev_charger_power / 1000) | round(2) }}
  • platform: integration
    name: ev_charger_cost_cumulative
    source: sensor.ev_charger_cost_right_now
    method: left
    utility_meter:
    ev_charger_cost_daily:
    source: sensor.ev_charger_cost_cumulative
    name: EV Charger Cost Daily
    cycle: daily
    ev_charger_cost_monthly:
    source: sensor.ev_charger_cost_cumulative
    name: EV Charger Cost Monthly
    cycle: monthly
    ev_charger_cost_yearly:
    source: sensor.ev_charger_cost_cumulative
    name: EV Charger Cost Yearly
    cycle: yearly

This setup allows for real-time cost calculation, cumulative tracking, and periodic breakdowns, making it easier to optimize energy usage and costs. I hope this approach can help others facing similar challenges in managing energy expenses with dynamic pricing. If anyone has questions or suggestions for improvement, I’d be happy to discuss further!