Home Assistant Energy Dashboard Setup: Step-by-Step Guide
The Home Assistant Energy Dashboard is a built-in feature that turns raw power readings into readable graphs of what your home consumes, produces, and (if you have solar) sends back to the grid. To set it up, you point Home Assistant at sensors that report energy in kilowatt-hours, then configure the dashboard under Settings → Dashboards → Energy. The hardest part isn't the dashboard itself — it's getting the right kind of sensor data feeding into it. This guide walks through the whole process and the mistakes that trip most people up.
Before you start: what the dashboard actually needs
The single most important thing to understand is the difference between power and energy. Power is an instantaneous reading measured in watts (W) — "the kettle is drawing 2,000 W right now." Energy is power accumulated over time, measured in kilowatt-hours (kWh) — "the kettle used 0.15 kWh this morning." The Energy Dashboard only works with energy sensors that report a total in kWh and increase over time.
Many smart plugs and power meters expose both a power sensor and an energy sensor. If a device only reports watts, Home Assistant can convert it, but you'll need a helper (covered below). Get this concept right and the rest is mostly clicking through menus.
If you're brand new to the platform, it helps to have the basics in place first. Our guides on installing Home Assistant and the best integrations to start with cover the groundwork this dashboard builds on.
Step 1: Get an energy source into Home Assistant
You can't measure what you can't see, so first you need at least one device reporting energy. Common options include:
- A whole-home energy monitor (such as CT-clamp devices that read your main panel) — the most complete picture, since it captures grid import and export.
- Smart plugs with energy metering — great for tracking individual appliances like a fridge, dryer, or media center.
- Your utility integration — some providers expose consumption data directly, though this is often delayed by a day.
- A solar inverter integration — for production and, in many cases, grid feed-in figures.
Add the relevant integration under Settings → Devices & Services. Once added, confirm the device exposes an entity whose unit is kWh and whose state keeps climbing.
Step 2: Verify (or create) a proper kWh sensor
Go to Developer Tools → States and find your device's entities. You're looking for one measured in kWh with a value that only goes up (or resets cleanly, which the dashboard understands). If you have that, skip ahead.
If your device only reports watts, create a Riemann sum integration helper, which mathematically converts a power reading into accumulated energy:
- Go to Settings → Devices & Services → Helpers and add a new helper.
- Choose the Integration - Riemann sum helper type.
- Select your power (watts) sensor as the input.
- Set the metric prefix to k (kilo) and the integration method to Left or Trapezoidal.
The result is a new kWh sensor the Energy Dashboard can use. Because it estimates energy from periodic power samples, it won't be as accurate as a true energy meter, but it's usually close enough for tracking trends.
- 1Add an integration that reports energy
- 2Confirm a sensor reads in kWh and increases over time
- 3Open Settings → Dashboards → Energy
- 4Add grid, solar, battery, and device sources
- 5Wait for data to populate on the hour
Step 3: Configure the Energy Dashboard
Navigate to Settings → Dashboards → Energy. You'll see several cards to configure. Start at the top and work down — only the first is truly essential:
| Section | What it tracks | Who needs it |
|---|---|---|
| Electricity grid | Energy imported from (and exported to) the grid | Everyone — the core of the dashboard |
| Solar panels | Energy your panels produce | Homes with solar |
| Home battery | Energy in and out of storage | Homes with a battery |
| Gas / Water | Consumption from metered utility sensors | Optional, if you have meters |
| Individual devices | Per-appliance energy use | Anyone wanting a breakdown |
Under Electricity grid, choose "Add consumption" and pick your grid-import kWh sensor. If your monitor also measures export (for solar feed-in), add that too. You can optionally enter a cost — either a fixed price per kWh or an entity that tracks a variable tariff — so the dashboard shows spending, not just usage.
Step 4: Wait for data, then read the graphs
This is where people panic unnecessarily. The Energy Dashboard aggregates data into hourly buckets, so a freshly configured dashboard can look empty for up to an hour. Give it time before assuming something is wrong. Once populated, you'll see a distribution graph (where your energy comes from), a usage-over-time chart, and — if configured — cost figures.
To view it, open the dashboard from the sidebar's Energy entry. Use the date picker to switch between day, month, and year views; longer views are where consumption patterns and seasonal trends become obvious.
Because the dashboard relies on long-term statistics, those numbers survive even when normal history is purged. That makes a good backup routine worthwhile; our Home Assistant backup and restore guide explains how to protect this data. If you're building out other views too, the dashboard setup guide pairs well with this one.
Frequently asked questions
Why is my Energy Dashboard empty or showing no data?
The two usual causes are timing and sensor type. Data only appears on the hour, so wait at least 60 minutes after setup. If it's still empty, check that your sensor reports in kWh with an increasing value — a watts-only power sensor won't populate the dashboard until you convert it with a Riemann sum helper.
Can I track a device that only has a smart plug measuring watts?
Yes. Create a Riemann sum integration helper that turns the plug's wattage reading into accumulated kWh, then add that new sensor under "Individual devices." It's an estimate rather than a metered total, but it's reliable enough for spotting energy-hungry appliances.
Do I need solar to use the Energy Dashboard?
No. Solar and battery sections are entirely optional. A single grid-consumption sensor is enough to get a working dashboard that shows how much electricity your home uses over time.
Will adding energy costs make the dashboard accurate for billing?
It's a good estimate, not a substitute for your utility bill. Home Assistant multiplies measured kWh by the price you enter, so accuracy depends on your sensor's accuracy and whether you've captured taxes, standing charges, and tiered rates. Treat it as a trend tool, not an invoice.
