How to build a power monitoring dashboard with shelly

Building a power monitoring dashboard with Shelly is a solid way to track energy usage in a local-first smart home. Shelly devices are affordable, easy to install, and integrate well with Home Assistant, making them a great choice for those who want to keep their smart home data on their own network. While Home Assistant is the primary focus, we’ll also touch on how to use Shelly with HomeKit and Hubitat, though the experience may vary.

Choose the Right Shelly Device for Power Monitoring

Shelly offers a range of devices that can be used for power monitoring. The Shelly Plus 1 and Shelly Plus 1 Mini Gen3 are the most straightforward options for tracking energy usage. Both have built-in power monitoring capabilities and support for Home Assistant integration via MQTT or HTTP. If you’re looking for a more compact option, the Shelly Plus 1 Mini Gen3 is a good choice, but it has a smaller form factor and less power monitoring detail than the full-sized version.

For users who need more detailed power data, the Shelly Plus 2PM is a better fit. It supports multiple sensors and provides more granular data about voltage, current, and power consumption. If you’re using Shelly in a HomeKit environment, the Shelly Plus 1 or Shelly Plus 1 Mini Gen3 will work, but you’ll need to use a third-party bridge like the Home Assistant Green or Home Assistant Yellow to enable full HomeKit integration.

If you’re using Hubitat, the Shelly Plus 1 and Shelly Plus 1 Mini Gen3 are also compatible, though the integration is less polished compared to Home Assistant. You may need to use a Hubitat Edge or Hubitat Core with a Zigbee Coordinator to get full functionality from Shelly devices.

Set Up Home Assistant for Power Monitoring

Home Assistant is the best platform for building a local power monitoring dashboard with Shelly. To get started, you’ll need to install the Shelly integration in Home Assistant. This can be done via the Integration section in the UI, where you can add your Shelly device by scanning its QR code or entering its IP address.

Once the integration is set up, you can start using the power data from your Shelly device in Home Assistant. The Shelly Plus 1 and Shelly Plus 1 Mini Gen3 provide detailed power metrics such as voltage, current, and power consumption. These metrics can be visualized using the built-in Dashboard or third-party dashboards like Home Assistant Frontend or Home Assistant Supervisor.

For a more customized experience, you can use Home Assistant’s Lovelace UI to create a custom dashboard. You can add cards for each Shelly device, showing real-time power usage, historical data, and even alerts for high consumption. You can also use Home Assistant’s automation to trigger actions based on power usage, such as turning off high-consumption devices when they exceed a certain threshold.

If you’re using Home Assistant Connect ZBT-1, you can also integrate Shelly with your existing Home Assistant setup without needing to run a separate instance. This is a good option for users who want to keep their data local but don’t want to manage a full Home Assistant server.

Use Shelly with HomeKit or Hubitat (If Needed)

While Home Assistant is the best option for power monitoring with Shelly, some users may prefer to use HomeKit or Hubitat. For HomeKit, you’ll need to use a Home Assistant Green or Home Assistant Yellow to act as a bridge between Shelly and HomeKit. This setup allows you to control Shelly devices through the Home app, but it’s not as smooth as using Home Assistant directly.

For Hubitat, the integration with Shelly is more limited. You can use the Shelly integration in Hubitat, but it doesn’t provide the same level of detail as in Home Assistant. You may need to use a Zigbee Coordinator like the ConBee III or Zigbee Me RZB7 Pro to enable full functionality for Shelly devices in a Hubitat setup.

If you’re using HomeKit, the Shelly Plus 1 or Shelly Plus 1 Mini Gen3 will work, but you’ll need to use a Home Assistant Green or Home Assistant Yellow as a bridge. This is a viable option if you want to keep your data local but still use HomeKit for control and automation.

Visualize Power Data with Custom Dashboards

A key part of building a power monitoring dashboard is visualization. Home Assistant offers several ways to display power data, including Lovelace dashboards, Graphs, and Cards. You can create a custom dashboard that shows real-time power usage, historical trends, and even comparisons between different devices.

For users who want more advanced analytics, you can use Home Assistant’s built-in graphing tools or third-party integrations like Home Assistant Supervisor or Home Assistant Community Store (HACS). These tools allow you to create custom graphs, set up alerts, and even export data for further analysis.

If you’re using Home Assistant Connect ZBT-1, you can also use the Home Assistant Web App to access your dashboard from anywhere, as long as you have internet access. This is a great option for users who want to monitor their power usage remotely without running a full Home Assistant server.

Quick Verdict

Building a power monitoring dashboard with Shelly is a practical and cost-effective way to track energy usage in a local-first smart home. While Home Assistant is the best platform for this task, Shelly can also be integrated with HomeKit or Hubitat for users who prefer those ecosystems. The Shelly Plus 1 and Shelly Plus 1 Mini Gen3 are the best options for power monitoring, offering detailed data and easy integration. For a more customized experience, use Home Assistant’s Lovelace UI to create a custom dashboard that suits your needs.