Key Takeaways
- Go to Settings → Dashboards → Energy to start configuration — no YAML editing required
- Add a grid-consumption sensor first (CT clamp or smart meter integration) — this is the only required step
- Solar, battery, gas/water, and individual devices are all optional additions on the same page
- Set your electricity tariff (fixed or time-of-use) so the dashboard shows cost alongside usage
- Configuration takes minutes once your sensors exist; charts start filling with the first hourly statistics, and a full day gives a meaningful daily view
Before You Start
You need at least one sensor entity reporting energy in kWh (or power in W, which Home Assistant can integrate into kWh) before the Energy dashboard has anything to display.
- This is usually a CT clamp integration (many brands report directly into Home Assistant), a smart meter integration if your utility/region supports one, or a whole-home monitor.
- If you don't have any energy sensor yet, see the local smart home energy management overview and the best hardware for a local smart home guide for hardware options before returning here.
- You don't need solar, a battery, or any individual-device sensors to get started — those are additive.
How Long Does Setup Take?
Configuring the Energy dashboard usually takes minutes once your energy sensors exist — the time-consuming part is installing and pairing the monitoring hardware, not the dashboard itself.
- Grid-only setup: one sensor selection plus a tariff, with no code or YAML.
- Solar, battery, and individual devices: one additional selection per sensor on the same page.
- Charts: statistics are compiled hourly, so the first bars appear after the next full hour, and a full day gives the first complete daily view.
Adding a Grid Sensor
In Settings → Dashboards → Energy, click "Add Consumption" under Electricity grid, and select your grid-consumption sensor entity.
- If your sensor reports power (W) rather than energy (kWh), first create an energy sensor with Home Assistant's Integration (Riemann sum) helper, then add that sensor — Home Assistant can only approximate energy from power samples, so frequent sampling gives better results.
- If you have solar and a dedicated export connection, add your household grid connection without the solar sensor, add the inverter as a Solar panels source, and add the export connection as a second Grid source: set only the exported energy, set the power measurement to Inverted, and configure export compensation.
- This single step is enough to start seeing a basic usage chart; everything else in this guide is optional refinement.
Adding Solar and Battery
If you have solar generation and/or battery storage, add them as separate sensor entities on the same Energy configuration page — "Solar Panels" and "Home Battery Storage" sections.
- Solar production needs its own sensor entity, typically from your inverter's local integration (see the Matter solar inverter integration guide, or your inverter's existing local API integration).
- Battery storage needs two sensor entities — energy going into the battery and energy coming out — so the dashboard can show charge/discharge separately from grid and solar.
- Once both are configured, the dashboard's energy distribution chart shows how much of your consumption came from solar, battery, or grid at any point in time.
Adding Individual Devices
Under "Individual devices," add each energy-monitoring smart plug or built-in appliance sensor you want tracked separately — this is what lets you see which appliance is driving your usage.
- Any sensor entity reporting energy in kWh can be added here, most commonly an energy-monitoring smart plug on an EV charger, water heater, or major appliance.
- You don't need to monitor everything — see the local energy management overview for guidance on which devices are worth individually tracking.
- Individual devices appear as their own line items in the dashboard's usage breakdown, letting you compare appliances directly.
Tracking HVAC and Other High-Draw Devices
Air conditioners and boilers that expose a power (W) or energy (kWh) sensor can be added under Individual devices like any smart plug — use a device hierarchy to avoid double-counting.
- If the unit reports power in watts, either add the power sensor directly (it needs device_class power and state_class measurement) or convert it to energy with the Integration (Riemann sum) helper and add that sensor.
- To see a circuit-level meter and the HVAC unit on one dashboard, add every sensor as an individual device first, then pick the circuit-level entity as the upstream device of the devices it contains — this prevents double-counting.
- Which sensors exist depends on your unit's integration — check it for a power or energy entity before buying extra monitoring hardware.
Setting Up Cost Tracking
Configure your electricity tariff under the grid consumption sensor's settings to turn kWh usage into cost estimates — either a fixed rate or a time-of-use schedule.
- A fixed rate is a single price per kWh, entered once.
- Time-of-use pricing works by splitting consumption into tariffs with the utility_meter integration (for example peak and off-peak), or by pointing the price at an entity that reports the current price, so the cost calculation matches your actual bill — this is also what load-shifting automations (see the local energy management overview) key off of.
- If you export solar to the grid and are paid for it, configure the compensation on the grid connection's export (return-to-grid) entry to see net cost, not just consumption cost.
Reading the Dashboard
The dashboard shows daily, weekly, and monthly usage, an energy-distribution chart (grid vs. solar vs. battery), and a cost summary — bars appear as hourly statistics are compiled, and a full day gives the first complete daily view.
- The usage graph lets you compare days or weeks to spot patterns — a good first check after setup is whether your grid draw drops during solar-generation hours as expected.
- The distribution chart is the fastest way to see self-consumption ratio if you have solar — how much of your usage came from your own generation versus the grid.
- Individual-device entries let you sanity-check that a specific appliance's usage matches expectations, which is also useful for catching a miswired or misconfigured sensor early.
Example Layouts and Customizing the Dashboard
The Energy dashboard is configured, not built: choose which sources appear, then show or hide cards with Customize cards — changes apply to everyone using the instance.
- Example 1 — grid only: one consumption sensor and a tariff give usage and cost charts.
- Example 2 — solar household: grid consumption, the inverter as Solar panels, and optional battery sensors give the grid/solar/battery distribution chart.
- Example 3 — device-level view: add individual devices (smart plugs, an air conditioner, an EV charger) and an upstream hierarchy to see each load's share.
- To customize, open Settings → Dashboards → Energy → Edit dashboard → Customize cards; cards are grouped into Overview, Electricity, Gas, Water, and Now, and a card stays unavailable until its source is configured.
- For a fully custom layout, build a regular dashboard from the same sensor entities.
Fixing Sensors That Do Not Appear
If a sensor is missing from the selection list, it almost always lacks the right device_class, state_class, or unit — check these first.
- Energy sensors: device_class energy with state_class total or total_increasing.
- Power sensors: device_class power with state_class measurement.
- Battery: device_class battery, state_class measurement, and unit %. Gas and water: device_class gas or water with state_class total or total_increasing.
- The entity must be a sensor (convert an input_number with a template sensor), use a supported unit, and be stored by the Recorder; resolve any errors under Settings → Tools → Statistics.
- Inflated totals: do not sum two resetting sensors (for example two utility_meter sensors) with a template or Group helper — add each cumulative sensor separately and correct bad data under Settings → Tools → Statistics.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a smart meter for the Energy dashboard to work?
No — a CT clamp on your main feed works without a smart meter and is the more common setup. A smart meter integration is an alternative if your utility and region support one.
Can I use the Energy dashboard without solar or a battery?
Yes. Grid-consumption tracking alone gives you usage and cost charts. Solar and battery sections are entirely optional and can be added later.
Why is my dashboard empty right after setup?
The Energy dashboard reads hourly long-term statistics, so the first bars appear after the next full hour and a full day gives a complete daily view. If nothing appears after a few hours, check that the sensor has the required device_class and state_class and that Settings → Tools → Statistics shows no errors for it.
What if my region uses a time-of-use tariff with more than two rate periods?
Yes — the utility_meter integration can split consumption into as many tariffs as your contract has, and a price entity can follow any schedule your provider publishes. Select it under the grid connection's cost settings.
Can I add individual devices later without redoing the setup?
Yes — individual devices, solar, and battery can all be added or removed independently at any time from the same Energy configuration page, without affecting the grid sensor already configured.
Does this dashboard require an internet connection?
No — once sensors are configured, the Energy dashboard runs entirely on your local Home Assistant instance and continues working during an internet outage, though any cloud-hosted sensor integration you've chosen to use would not.
How is this different from a generic Home Assistant dashboard?
The Energy dashboard is a purpose-built, auto-generated view specifically for energy sensors — it handles unit conversion, cost calculation, and the distribution chart automatically, which a manually built dashboard would need custom cards and templates to replicate.
Can automations use Energy dashboard data directly?
Yes — the underlying sensor entities the Energy dashboard reads from are standard Home Assistant entities, so any automation (including the load-shifting examples in the local energy management overview) can reference them directly.
How long does it take to set up the Home Assistant Energy dashboard?
Configuration usually takes minutes once energy sensors exist: select the grid sensor, add optional sources, and set a tariff. Charts fill from hourly statistics, so allow the next full hour for first data and a day for a complete daily view.
Why is my sensor missing from the Energy dashboard list?
It usually lacks the required attributes: energy sensors need device_class energy and state_class total or total_increasing, and power sensors need device_class power and state_class measurement. It must also be a sensor entity with a supported unit that the Recorder stores.
Can I track my air conditioner or boiler in the Energy dashboard?
Yes, if it exposes a power (W) or energy (kWh) sensor. Add the energy sensor under Individual devices, or convert a power sensor with the Integration (Riemann sum) helper first, and set an upstream device to avoid double-counting.
Can I customize the Energy dashboard?
Yes — open Settings → Dashboards → Energy → Edit dashboard → Customize cards to show or hide cards. Changes apply to all users; for a fully custom layout, build a regular dashboard from the same sensors.