I recently stumbled upon this fantastic Runtime Counter Blueprint for Home Assistant, and I just wanted to take a moment to share how much it has improved my setup. For someone like me who loves optimizing and tracking device usage, this blueprint has been a game-changer.
Initially, I was using the history_stats sensor to track my washing machine’s runtime, but I was always concerned about relying on the history database. It worked, but I felt it wasn’t the most reliable long-term solution. Enter this Runtime Counter Blueprint—now I have a persistent counter that stores the runtime in an input_number helper. This means even if my history gets purged or corrupted, my runtime data remains intact. That peace of mind is priceless!
One of the features I love the most is the ability to manually adjust the counter. For instance, if I replace my washing machine, I can easily reset the counter without any hassle. The blueprint’s flexibility is impressive—it works with switches, binary sensors, and input booleans, making it suitable for a wide range of devices. I’ve already set it up for my ventilation fan and water pump, and it’s running smoothly for all of them.
I also appreciate the low system load this solution provides. Unlike the history_stats sensor, which can slow down performance with large datasets, this blueprint incrementally updates the counter every minute when the device is active. It’s lightweight and doesn’t bog down my system, which is a huge plus.
The template sensor for displaying the runtime in hours and minutes is a nice touch too. It makes the data easily readable and integratable into my dashboards. I can see myself using this blueprint for even more devices in the future—maybe my dryer or even my outdoor lights.
If anyone else is looking for a reliable, history-independent way to track device runtime, I highly recommend giving this blueprint a try. It’s simple to set up, incredibly versatile, and just plain effective. Kudos to the developer for creating such a thoughtful and robust solution!
Has anyone else implemented this blueprint? I’d love to hear about your experiences or any creative use cases you’ve come up with. Let’s discuss!