As a homeowner passionate about energy efficiency, I’ve always been intrigued by the potential of integrating energy monitoring into my smart home setup. Recently, I stumbled upon the idea of creating a custom integration for an old energy meter I have lying around, specifically the CM-160 OWL +USB. This journey led me to think about the broader possibilities of energy monitoring within Home Assistant.
The ideal setup would involve a generic energy measurement and display flow that can handle various types of energy meters. This flow would include steps like inputting amperage, converting it to power, integrating over time to calculate energy consumption, and displaying cost and usage statistics. The goal is to make this solution generic enough that it can be utilized by different types of sensors, whether they’re cloud-connected, smart meters, plug-in devices, or clamp-on sensors.
However, I’m facing some challenges. Problem A revolves around how to package this solution—should it be a base class for other components or a standalone service? Problem B is about where to store the data, particularly the integrated energy consumption and comparison figures. I’m curious if the existing history component in Home Assistant can handle this data in a lossless manner.
I’m willing to contribute to this project, but I need guidance on where this integration should fit within the Home Assistant framework. Making this solution generic would benefit a wide range of users, allowing all sensor types to leverage the same system. For instance, cloud-connected meters could skip certain steps since they provide kWh totals directly, while clamp-on sensors would need to start from amperage measurements.
If anyone has experience with similar integrations or insights into the Home Assistant architecture, I’d love to hear your thoughts! Whether it’s about data storage solutions, service architecture, or best practices for sensor integration, your input would be invaluable. Let’s explore how we can make energy monitoring more accessible and efficient for everyone.